Battleground - Tamriel I: The Story of Faasnu Dovahkiir
by Crusader Dragon Alpha
Summary: The Empire of Tamriel stands on the precipice of another major conflict. The Aldmeri Dominion and their Thalmor masters have recruited an unseen ally. The Blades are all but dead. Dovahkiin, whom the dragons of Skyrim had sworn their loyalty to, has vanished. But, before his disappearance, Dovahkiin left a prophecy - his son would fall from the stars to wage the war he could not.
1. Battleground Tamriel - Title & Prologue

The Elder Scrolls in:

Battleground Tamriel:

The Story of

Faasnu Dovahkiir

(Disclaimer: I do not own the Elder Scrolls franchise or any other fictional work not mentioned in this story. You read this story at your own risk.)

Prologue

The Fourth Era of Tamriel has seen much. And there is much more that it will see. Twenty-two years have passed since the return of Alduin the World-Eater. Twenty-two years since Dovahkiin defeated Alduin, at the heart of Sovngarde. I would know. I am the immortal dragon, Paarthurnax – I have seen these things myself. With Alduin defeated, Dovahkiin spared me, despite the pleas of his allies, Delphine and Esbern – two of the last members of the Order of the Blades. Moreover, many of Alduin's former-followers, including myself, pledged our allegiance to Dovahkiin.

But know that after Dovahkiin's victory over Alduin, he became... disturbed. More and more, he was haunted by visions he beheld in his dreams. Some time after these visions began to haunt him, Esbern died of a mysterious illness. Delphine vanished shortly afterward. Some among Keizaal – you call it Skyrim – suspected the Thalmor were involved in some way. But I saw in Dovahkiin's eyes that he thought otherwise. I saw it when he called his top Dovah allies to a meeting – myself, Odahviing, Ahkrinviingah, and Aldovulom.

In this meeting, he told us of what he saw, told us where he was going. There was a war coming – a war against an enemy we've yet to understand. A horde of warriors alien to this land, brought here by the Thalmor in their effort to cleanse the Empire from this land. Dovahkiin asked us to, no matter what happens, remain loyal to the Empire – even if it means to our deaths.

And most of all, he told us of his son – how his son, a spitting image of our beloved Dovahkiin, would fall from the sky, to Taazokaan... the place you call Tamriel. When he did, Dovahkiin told us that we must find him before the enemy does; "Find him," he said, "And put down the threat posed by the faceless enemy." Then, having told us what he wanted us to hear, Dovahkiin himself, vanished without a trace.

That was twenty-two years ago. And so, for twenty-two years, we waited, holding on to the hope of the arrival of the son of Dovahkiin. The Thalmor and the Aldmeri dominion are on the rise – tensions are high, and war seems all but inevitable. For twenty-two years, we waited for the child to fall from the sky.

And now, after twenty-two years... the wait is over.

_BOOOO-DEEET! BOOOO-DEEET! BOOOO-DEEET!_

Proximity alert sirens, coupled by the ship bucking in one direction, woke the marine from his sleep.

_"__Proximity alert,"_ the computer droned. _"__Translight drive... off-line."_

_Shit,_ the warrior grumbled, _this better be good._ The warrior hurried into his uniform, donned the MASRA battle suit from the locker with a now-illegible name spray-painted on it, and stumbled as the ship bucked again.

"What the hell was that?" he growled to no one in particular. Truth was, he was alone in this ship. The ship bucked again, and it was obvious – something pulled it out of translight speed and was knocking the ship about.

The marine headed to the cockpit of his ship and began going over the logs. Apparently, the ship was pulled out of translight speed by a spatial anomaly – then something knocked it out of the star lane and the ship was now descending toward a planetary body. Hell, it had just cleared the upper atmosphere. The marine worked frantically with the controls, but it was futile – controls were non-responsive. With little left to do, the marine headed back to the cabin to gear up. This was going to be a hell of a survival op...

Paarthurnax rested atop the Throat of the World. For more than a thousand years, this had been his home. His sanctuary. His place of meditation.

But for the past twenty-two years, it had been his observation post, offering a superior view on a clear day of the surrounding land. A perfect lookout spot to look for signs of the imminent arrival of the child of Dovahkiin. The other dragons were in agreement; to honor Dovahkiin, this child would be known to them as Faasnu Dovahkiir – the Fearless Dragon Child. A fitting name for a warrior they knew nothing about, if ever there was one.

In any event, Paarthurnax could feel something stirring. Not the Thalmor, or the Aldmeri Dominion – and certainly not the brewing war. No, this was different. It was something coming, fast.

_BANG!_

Had Paarthurnax not cast a look up, he'd not have seen what he now saw – an oddly-shaped vessel, trailing smoke and fire, descending from the sky like a meteor. It scraped the top of the mountain, altering it's course, and careened into the land below. Thrusters kicked in, and propelled the craft toward Whiterun. It hit with a loud _wham_, bounced into the air, tumbling end-over-end until it slid, came to a stop, and rested in what Paarthurnax assumed to be it's upright position. Plumes of smoke trailed upward into the sky.

This had to be Dovahkiir. There was no other explanation for the presence of this ship, a vessel that seemingly fell from the stars. Gathering his breath, Paarthurnax let loose a roar to signify the arrival of the son of Dovahkiin...

Even after Dovahkiin left, Ulfric Stormcloak continued to live in peace with General Tullius. Having convinced the two sides of the civil war to live in peace – and forced Tullius and the Emperor himself to pardon Ulfric from his past crimes – Dovahkiin would be satisfied to know that peace still went strong. With the threat of another war against the Aldmeri Dominion looming over everyone, the empire needed every ally it could get.

So it was no surprise to see Ulfric, Tullius, and the Jarl of Whiterun – Balgruuf the greater – together in the palace of Dragonsreach.

"... I still don't get it," Tullius complained as he paced nervously. "How do we know the Dragonborn's son is coming here?"

"I don't know," Balgruuf admitted. "But the dragon was very specific – Dovahkiin has a son."

"Why didn't he tell us?" Ulfric asked. "That's not like the Dovahkiin I know."

"I wish I knew," Balgruuf sighed. He leaned on the balcony overlooking the land outside. "But... I've never known Paarthurnax to lie. He has been Dovahkiin's ally since the death of Alduin." He turned to face Ulfric and Tullius. "Regardless, if what he said is true, we will need all the allies we can get."

"Okay, let's recap on what we know so far," Tullius said. "The Thalmor have been recruiting an unknown faction for whatever purposes. We don't know who they are, but it's obvious they're not native to this place."

"Apart from their recruiting of these... aliens... the elves have given no indication of attack," Ulfric added. "From what spies have told us, they're holding back for some reason."

"And we know that the dragons are expecting something – a ship, perhaps – to fall from the stars," Balgruuf continued, "Which is supposed to contain the one they call Faasnu Dovahkiir."

"Have the dragons any information on Faasnu?" Ulfric inquired.

"No," Balgruuf answered with the shake of his head. "Not even Paarthurnax knew."

"What about the Dragonborn?" Tullius asked. "Did he ever tell Paarthurnax why he left?"

"No, he didn't," Balgruuf replied, leaning again on the balcony rail. "Just that Dovahkiin was haunted by something... some vision he kept having in his sleep."

"Whatever it was," Ulfric added, "It disturbed him greatly. The innkeepers in Windhelm told me how he had awakened several times screaming about something called 'B'tari.'"

"Could B'tari be a place we don't know about?" Tullius asked.

Balgruuf frowned, looking back at his two high-ranking comrades. "It just might," he responded. "It may explain where – or why – Dovahkiin left."

"How so?" Ulfric queried.

"On the day he left," Balgruuf answered, "Dovahkiin approached me when I was alone, told me that there was something stirring in the galaxy – how he had seen the death of a world by a threat that more than eclipsed Alduin. He told me that where he was going, we could not follow – that whoever was responsible for the death of what he called B'tari was coming here... I think he left to try to stop – or at least delay – whatever it was he perceived."

"Gods," Tullius whispered. "Could that be who the Thalmor recruited?"

Ulfric sighed, "I shudder to think-"

Before this speculation could continue, there was a loud _BANG_ in the sky, and everyone looked up in time to see a vessel, trailing smoke and fire, rocket overhead and crash. The crimson-scaled Odahviing was close behind, and hovered over the balcony.

"Ulfric! Tullius!" he called out to them, "Gather your fastest and strongest men! We must recover Faasnu and his belongings!"

"Are you certain it is him?" Balgruuf called back.

"There is no time!" Odahviing responded. "Hurry!" He then flew over to the crashed ship.

"You two better get going," Balgruuf said. "The elves could already be on their way."

As Ulfric and Tullius left to gather their men, Balgruuf returned his attention to the crashed starship, billowing smoke into the sky. A clear signal to the Thalmor – Faasnu Dovahkiir has arrived. The dragons circled it like vultures circling fresh carrion – their roars could be heard for a distance. It wasn't long before horse-drawn carriages dashed out to the crashed ship, manned by Imperial Legion personnel. Stormcloak warriors were close behind, also on horseback.

_So it begins,_ Balgruuf thought...

Ulfric dismounted from his horse, and drew his blade. The crashed ship looked bigger up close than it did when Ulfric saw it crash. Tullius was nearby, still on his horse.

"Any ideas how to get in?" he asked.

"We'll need to find a way in – or make one – and get Faasnu out before he's burned alive," Ulfric replied.

"Alright, men!" Tullius commanded, "Let's find a way inside! Search for any survivors!"

"Over here!" shouted one of the Stormcloaks. "I think I found our man!" The soldier was standing atop the nose of the craft. Ulfric came up and saw what the soldier indicated: a man, or alien, encased and unmoving in a strange, armored shell.

The armored figure twitched in his seat, and Ulfric knew in that instant the man was still alive. "All of you, get back!" he commanded. Gathering his breath, he let loose a Thu'um that tore the barrier between them off. _"__Fus... Ro Dah!"_

Glass shattered, and the way was clear. The men hurried inside, and dragged the armored alien carefully onto the ground.

"Get those horse carriages over here!" Tullius barked. "Let's get Faasnu's gear out before the Thalmor find us!"

As the legion men hurried to load Faasnu's equipment into the carriages, Ulfric and his men gently set the armored warrior on the ground. Ulfric removed the helmet, and...

Beneath the helmet was the face of a man, no older than his mid-twenties. A human man. Paarthurnax was the first of the dragons to land. He looked over the boy, a single tear leaving his eye as he said, "He... looks just like him." Ulfric didn't say it, but he, too, recognized the resemblance – this boy was a spitting image of Dovahkiin. "Is he alright?" Paarthurnax asked.

A single cough answered that question. A Stormcloak healer put a hand to Faasnu's neck, feeling his pulse. "Well," she said, "He's unconscious – but he's alive. Let's get him someplace safe."

Ulfric returned Faasnu's helmet to his head, and his troops dragged him off. As the legion troops loaded all of Faasnu's gear into the carriages, Ulfric looked to Paarthurnax. "I assume you will watch over him?" he asked.

"Of course," the aging dragon answered. "That goes without saying. As the son of Dovahkiin, Faasnu deserves no less – from both the dov and from the races of man."

"That's the last of it!" one of the legion troops said as a group of men – legion and Stormcloak – dragged a large item to one of the empty carriages.

"Put this stuff in the palace, where the dragons stay," Tullius ordered. "And put Faasnu with it." Tullius looked over to Paarthurnax. "I trust you don't mind?" he asked.

"Truthfully," Paarthurnax answered, "That is where I would prefer Faasnu to be – as one of the dov whose allegiance is sworn to Dovahkiin and his descendants, I will keep an eye on him."

"Very well," Tullius stated. "Alright, men – let's get out of here!"

The horse-drawn carriages dashed off, loaded with equipment alien to everyone save the warrior pulled from the wreckage, followed by men on horseback, all of them headed to Whiterun and the palace of Dragonsreach...

(More will follow.)


	2. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 1

Chapter One

As Faasnu slept soundly, Ulfric, Tullius, and Balgruuf discussed the items brought back from Faasnu's ship while Paarthurnax watched over the sleeping man. Rain had come, putting out the fires on Faasnu's ship, and all was generally dark outside as day turned to night.

"These things here," Ulfric explained, indicating strange devices, "Tullius' men pulled off of a series of racks." The devices were made up of a series of intricate parts, all cobbled together to make extraordinary items. Each device had a slot where containers of various sizes went in, some containers housing multiple small, pointed metallic objects no bigger than the palm of Ulfric's hand, and some serving some unknown purpose.

"Could these be weapons of some sort?" Tullius asked.

"Could be," Balgruuf admitted, stroking his beard, "But what would Faasnu need all these weapons for?"

"It is possible that these weapons were part of a shipment he was delivering," Tullius suggested.

"It would explain why we found so many," Ulfric responded. "But where was he delivering them?"

"What about those two crates?" Balgruuf asked.

"Well, if these are indeed weapons," Ulfric answered, "Then those contain the ammunition these things use."

"That's a lot of ammunition," Balgruuf commented.

"Either Faasnu was delivering these somewhere, or he wasn't alone on that ship," Ulfric said.

"If Faasnu was with someone on that ship, we'd have found them – dead or alive," Tullius discounted. "We'll need to ask Faasnu what he was doing with all this when he wakes up."

"What of his armor?" Balgruuf inquired.

"It is very sturdy," Ulfric explained, "But surprisingly light. I could wear it with no hindrance to movement." He picked up the chest plate and handed it to Tullius. "Feel the weight."

Tullius shifted the somewhat-bulky chest plate in his hands, then handed it back with an intrigued frown. "It has almost no weight at all," he remarked.

"Yet it protected Faasnu when his ship crashed," Ulfric said. "Moreover, my men tested this suit – not even the sharpest bow-fired arrow can penetrate it."

"Such protection could be invaluable to the Empire against the Thalmor," Tullius said.

"We would have to know how this armor is forged first," Balgruuf stated.

"I don't think it can be forged – not by us," Ulfric discounted. "When the arrow hit the armor while it was fully assembled, it glanced off of some sort of field around the armor. Watch." Ulfric was about to reassemble the armor when a groan came from Faasnu. Tullius, Ulfric, Balgruuf and Paarthurnax gathered around Faasnu as he twitched and stirred. His brown dragon eyes cracked open, and Faasnu croaked,

"What the hell...? Who are you?" He began to sit up when Balgruuf stopped him.

"Easy, now, Faasnu – you survived one hell of a crash," he said. "It was a good thing Ulfric and his men were able to pull you out of your ship, or you'd be more than a little crispy."

"I apologize for shattering the glass on your ship," Ulfric apologized.

"Don't apologize, comrade," Faasnu said. "Were I in your position, I'd have done the same thing." He paused, surveying the faces in the room, stopping at Paarthurnax. He frowned, inclining his head and sitting up.

_"__Paarthurnax?" _he asked, as though surprised to see him. In perfect Dovah, he added, _"__Father spoke very highly of you often – but I never thought I'd see you face-to-face."_

Paarthurnax chuckled, "So you know who I am," Paarthurnax commented. "For twenty-two years, the dov have awaited your arrival. I am honored you already know us."

"Just for the record," Faasnu asked, "Where am I?"

"You're in my palace, Dragonsreach – the city of Whiterun," Balgruuf answered.

"And where is Whiterun?" Faasnu asked.

"The province of Skyrim," Ulfric replied, "On the continent of Tamriel."

"I believe he was referring to what world," Paarthurnax suggested. He looked to Faasnu. "You are on the world known as Nirn."

Faasnu paused, moving his head about as he apparently calculated something in his head. "Okay," he finally said, "I am where I was supposed to be."

"Am I hearing this right?" Tullius asked. "You _meant_ to crash here?"

"No," Faasnu replied, "Not _crash_; I merely meant to _land_ here."

"What is your business here?" Tullius asked.

"Something my father was looking into that caught the attention of my superiors," Faasnu answered.

"You are a part of some sort of military?" Balgruuf inquired.

"Yes, sir," Faasnu replied. "Sergeant Major Faasnu Dovahkiir, Dragon'taan Marauder Corps."

"What caused your ship to crash?" Paarthurnax queried.

"Honestly, I don't know," Faasnu responded. "I'd have to get a look at the damage on my ship before I could make any sort of educated guess as to what caused me to crash."

"We could head out when you recover," Balgruuf said. "Right now, you need to rest."

"If that's the case, sir, then could someone hand me the weapon I had in my lap when you pulled me out?"

Ulfric picked up one of the devices from the table. "You mean this thing?" he queried.

"Yes, that and the curved mag next to it," Faasnu affirmed.

Ulfric took the requested items and handed them to Faasnu. Faasnu then loaded the container into the receiver and cocked the device with a metallic _click-click_. He then flipped a lever up on the weapon, and rested with the weapon across his chest, his hand on the grip, and finger over the trigger guard.

"If I may," Tullius asked, "What are those things?"

"This," Faasnu answered with pride, "Is a personal weapon of mine – an RX Kalashnikov AK50M7. As for the other guns I was toting – some are assault rifles, some are sniper rifles, and some are high-tech Kadgeron Disruptor Rifles."

"What were you carrying these for?" Tullius inquired.

"My father's gift from him to you," Faasnu responded. "He said you'd need them. That thing there," Faasnu indicated the machine recovered from his ship – the one that took several men to load – and continued, "Once deployed, materializes these weapons in racks that slide out from the sides and the needed ammunition from a compartment in the bottom."

"So Dovahkiin knew what was coming," Paarthurnax mumbled, "And sent us weapons for the coming war."

"That's another reason why I need to get to my ship," Faasnu stated. "That's not all he sent you; I need to set the beacon so that my allies in the Dragon'taan Marauder Corps will know where I am. Once they lock on, they'll be here in short order."

"Very well," Balgruuf sighed. "How can we deploy your... machine?"

Faasnu sighed. "Computer," he said, "Deploy Industrial Materialization Machine, authorization code seven-two-four-delta-foxtrot." The machine beeped, and in seconds, became several times larger. "If you want," Faasnu stated, "I'll fire that thing up tomorrow."

"Very well," Balgruuf said. "I leave you to your rest, Faasnu – and bid you welcome to Skyrim." Balgruuf left, and Ulfric and Tullius followed, leaving Paarthurnax alone with Faasnu.

"I am... almost afraid to ask," Paarthurnax asked, "Does Dovahkiin still live?"

"In all honesty, Uncle Paarthurnax, no one knows," Faasnu replied. "He went missing during an engagement with the Kirn five years ago. No one has seen him since. I found his journal and continued his quest a week later... and got the attention of my superiors – especially the head of the Marauder Corps."

"Who is he?" Paarthurnax inquired.

"High General Kyle Indari," Faasnu replied. "Father was a good friend of his."

"Does Indari know what this... B'tari is?" Paarthurnax queried.

"Of course," Faasnu said. "B'tari was where Kyle Indari was raised. And, moreover, he was there when the Necromyans destroyed all life on the world. Nobody knows how he survived – it is knowledge only he holds. And, likewise, Uncle Paarthurnax, whether or not father still lives is knowledge only father holds."

Paarthurnax smiled. "Did Dovahkiin always refer to me as Uncle Paarthurnax to you?"

"Yeah," Faasnu answered. "Kept telling me that if anything were to happen to him, you would take me in. After all – he told me that he named you my godfather."

Paarthurnax chuckled. "I am honored, son of Dovahkiin. In any event, you must rest."

"Way ahead of you, pal," Faasnu replied, putting his head down and closing his eyes. As Faasnu slept, Paarthurnax couldn't help but feel proud. Paarthurnax – godfather of Faasnu Dovahkiir. Such a magnificent title. The aging dragon looked to the sky, as though expecting to see Dovahkiin's face in the dark clouds.

_Dovahkiin, old friend,_ he thought,_wherever you are – thank you. Rest in peace... you earned that much._

With sleep on his own mind, Paarthurnax curled up near Faasnu, keeping him in his sight, and fell asleep himself...


	3. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Paarthurnax awoke to the sound of metallic clicking. He opened his eyes to see that Faasnu was no longer in bed, but working to load the weapons he had been carrying on his ship. Unlike his appearance the previous night when he was asleep, Faasnu was dressed in his full combat armor.

"Shouldn't you be resting, godson?" he asked.

_"__When this armor is fully assembled on me,"_ Faasnu replied, his voice mechanically distorted by the armor, _"__It has a number of medical uses. Basically, I am in tip-top shape – like I was before I crashed."_

"So I imagine," Paarthurnax stated. "Have you learned what caused your ship to crash?"

_"__Haven't had the chance,"_ Faasnu answered. _"__Been waiting on Ulfric and Tullius. They're gathering some of their men before we head down to what's left of my ship."_ Faasnu loaded a small container into a carbine-looking weapon.

"Which weapon is that?" Paarthurnax asked.

_"__This,"_ Faasnu answered, _"__Is a Model Seventy-Six Kadgeron Disruptor Rifle. Sure, it looks small, but the energy cells last a long time and the weapon is quite powerful – fully charged shots have been known to vaporize a full-grown human."_

"Vaporize... meaning what?" Paarthurnax asked.

_"__In other words, the energy pulses from the disruptor will disintegrate organic material with such ease, not even ashes will remain,"_ Faasnu replied. _"__One hit, and poof! You're toast."_

"Remarkable weaponry," Paarthurnax commented.

_"__Eh – it gets the job done. Besides; no one ever said war was pretty," _Faasnu stated.

"No," Paarthurnax agreed, "It never is."

At that moment, Tullius, Ulfric, and a band of Imperial Legion and Stormcloak soldiers marched into the room.

"Sorry we're late," Tullius apologized. "Had to give the men a crash-course overnight on your weapons. Hope you don't mind."

_"__Actually, that's what I'd have done, so you did good,"_ Faasnu commented. _"__I've got a number of Disruptors prepped over there. Help yourselves."_ Faasnu pointed to a rack holding several Disruptor Rifles. The Legion and Stormcloak soldiers loaded up, and Faasnu picked up a sheathed katana. He drew the blade out, visually inspecting it. It was made up of Titanium with edges of hardened diamond.

"Interesting blade," Paarthurnax remarked.

_"__It was a trophy from a kill years ago, the day I became a Sergeant Major,"_ Faasnu replied. He slid the katana back in it's sheath. _"__Leapt into an enemy bunker, killed their NCO and took his sword, and slaughtered everyone else inside. Then, I led the Marauder Corps forces to victory on that particular world. Ever since then, this sword has stuck with me."_

"So, what are we hoping to achieve going back to your ship, Faasnu?" Ulfric asked.

_"__First thing that needs be done is to set the beacon, or at least retrieve it so I can set it up later,"_ Faasnu answered. _"__Secondary to these goals is to assess the damage to my ship – I may be able to tell you what brought my ship down."_

"Well, let's not waste any more time here," Tullius suggested. "I want to get this done before the Thalmor show up."

_"__Oh, don't worry,"_ Faasnu said, a hint of malicious humor in his voice, _"__Once we get this done, I'll booby-trap my ship – if the Thalmor do come, they'll get a nasty surprise."_

Soldiers moved out, armed with the disruptors Faasnu provided, and Ulfric, Tullius, and Faasnu walked behind them.

"Shall I cover you from above?" Paarthurnax asked.

"Command thinking, Uncle," Faasnu replied. "Hit the sky and tell me what you see."

It took ten minutes to get to what was left of Faasnu's ship, with Paarthurnax and Odahviing patrolling the sky looking for any sign of the Thalmor's presence. So far, they had made no indication that they were aware of Faasnu's presence. They reached Faasnu's ship, where they retrieved the beacon with Faasnu's help, and Faasnu went about examining his ship while the troopers took the beacon back to Whiterun. During the examination, Faasnu called Tullius and Ulfric up to the top of the craft.

"Ulfric, Tullius... you might want to take a look at this," he told them. They headed up to Faasnu's location, and were greeted by the sight of black, charred metal.

"By the nine... what caused this?" Ulfric asked in awe.

"I can say for certain, now, that my ship wasn't brought down by accident," Faasnu explained. "This damage is consistent with high-intensity plasma weapons mounted on a much larger ship."

"Meaning someone shot you down and caused you to crash," Tullius deduced.

"Exactly," Faasnu affirmed. "Seems our Thalmor friends have some friends of their own – I'd guess Zurrak, Luranni, and any other ex-client race of the Necromyan Collective that didn't ally with the Marauder Corps at the close of the Marauder War."

"Is booby-trapping this ship still going to work?" Ulfric asked.

"It will, but I'll have to do something I've never done before," Faasnu answered. "I'll have to wire the ship with plastic explosives."

"I'm guessing that plastic explosives are high-end explosives," Tullius guessed.

"_Very_ high-end," Faasnu affirmed. "Just five pounds of it is enough to level Dragonsreach."

Tullius let loose a long whistle. "That's heavy," he commented.

"Can you still set the beacon?" Ulfric inquired. "Let your allies know where you are?"

"Yes, but there's a problem with that," Faasnu explained. "The instant I set that beacon, every sensor in this 'verse will be able to track it – whoever the Thalmor's friends are, they will be able to spot it, and will come running to shut it off."

"Meaning that we can expect Whiterun to come under attack," Ulfric finished. "Great."

"But it's not as though we have any choice," Faasnu said. "If we can keep that beacon going for three days, the DMC will get a lock and send a fleet to assist us."

"Then let's not waste time here," Tullius suggested. "Dovahkiir, do what you need to do, then meet us back at Whiterun."

"Way ahead of you, General," Faasnu said. He went about booby-trapping what was left of his ship, then headed off to Whiterun.

"Is it done?" Balgruuf asked as Faasnu marched into the palace.

"If the Thalmor try to get into my ship," Faasnu answered, "They're in for an explosive surprise."

"Well, good," Balgruuf said, "But Imperial couriers have delivered a message while you were away – the Emperor would like you to appear in a special speech to the armies of the Empire."

"Just me?" Faasnu asked.

"Well, his majesty asked Ulfric and I to make appearances as well," Tullius responded. "I think Emperor Meade wants to hear what we have planned in regards to the Dominion and their Thalmor agents."

"Okay, where are we going?" Faasnu inquired.

"Oh, we're not going anywhere – the Emperor is coming here to Whiterun," Tullius answered.

"Yes, the emperor wants to meet the warrior he believes will bring us victory against the Dominion," Balgruuf chuckled.

"You've only been here a day, and already, word of you is spreading like wildfire," Ulfric commented.

"If that be the case," Faasnu responded, "I'd advise we take our security more seriously – The Thalmor may not take kindly to my presence here."

"Agreed," Ulfric said. "They'll likely try to assassinate you in an attempt to prevent you from setting that beacon."

"We're not setting it immediately," Faasnu said.

Balgruuf frowned. "Why not?" he queried.

"As I said before," Faasnu explained, "the instant I set that beacon, every sensor in this 'verse will detect it – whoever shot me down may still be in the area, and they will send an attack force the moment we set the signal."

"So what do you intend to do?" Balgruuf demanded. "Wait until the Dominion attack?"

"No," Faasnu answered, "I intend to train a select group of one hundred soldiers from both Tullius's and Ulfric's forces in the use of the weapons I have – these groups will train the thousands of soldiers that remain."

"Shall we assemble our best?" Tullius asked.

"That would be good," Faasnu said. "I wish to speak to them, explain to them how they will be trained."

As Ulfric and Tullius left to gather their troops, Faasnu asked Balgruuf, "How soon is the emperor coming?"

"He will be here in four weeks," Balgruuf answered.

"Which is one week more than I need," Faasnu chuckled with a smile.

"You think you can train two hundred soldiers in three weeks?" Balgruuf inquired quizzically.

"I've done it in two before with twice that many men in a boot camp on Dragon'taan," Faasnu responded. "I know how to train troops the likes of which reside here in a way that clicks to them."

"And once these troops are trained?" Balgruuf asked. "What then?"

"As I said, they will train the thousands that remained, week by week for the next two months."

"By then, we'll have trained the Imperial and Stormcloak forces, and the Thalmor won't stand a chance," Balgruuf surmised.

"And while they are training, I will slip behind enemy lines and confirm that the Aldmeri Dominion are working with who I think they're working with," Faasnu concluded. "And when I do, I will set that beacon..."

"... And start the war that has been brewing this whole time," Balgruuf said. "Clever."

"By the time the enemy figures out what went wrong, we'll have this war in a bag," Faasnu chuckled.

_So it begins..._ Balgruuf thought to himself.


	4. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Faasnu approached the gathered group of troops, thinking over what he was going to say to them. A hundred of the legion's best troops, and a hundred of Ulfric Stormcloak's best warriors. Two hundred men and women that would train the thousands upon thousands of troops that remained, and that was in Skyrim alone.

Paarthurnax and Odahviing watched as the son of Dovahkiin prepared to speak. To them, this was the beginning of what was sure to be a long war.

"Soldiers of the Imperial Legion, warriors of the Stormcloak Rebellion, hear me!" Faasnu spoke. "You are the best of the best. You have distinguished yourselves in combat multiple times over, and for that, you have been chosen for special training – for it is you who will train the thousands upon thousands of warriors and soldiers in preparation for the coming war!"

The assembled troops let loose a cheer. Their enthusiasm was refreshing to Faasnu, and he continued, "Soldiers of the Imperial Legion – you are the best the Empire has to offer. You come from all races, all provinces of the empire, to fight for the empire's glory. As the main fighting force of the Empire, it is only fitting that henceforth, you will be known as the Imperial Army. You will be backed by the most advanced armors and sophisticated technology and weaponry available – all so you might attack with impunity and crush your enemies underfoot! You will be trained to use weapons such as Assault Rifles, Anti-Armor Rocket Launchers, Heavy Machine Guns, Light Machine Guns, and trained to operate the most advanced vehicles the Galaxy has to offer!"

The Imperial troops cheered with excitement. But the Stormcloaks remained silent – all but one, a man named Ralof, who asked, "What of we Stormcloaks?"

"I have not forgotten you, Stormcloaks," Faasnu replied. "You are the best at what you do – you come from all walks of life, to fight for freedom and glory. You strike hard and fast, and you leave no room for error in battle. You improvise, adapt, and overcome any situation you are faced with. When Dovahkiin – my father – came here, he united you with the empire while still keeping your beliefs at heart. With the empire, you became a force to be reckoned with. You've expanded your forces to include other races, as my father had intended – and still, you remain Skyrim's best. Therefore, you will be known as the Stormcloak Special Forces. You will be trained in a wide array of arts, including infiltration, espionage, sabotage, Stealth Assaults, and more. You will train in the use of Stealth Assault Rifles, Sniper Rifles, Submachine guns, High-Explosives, time bombs, and more. Where the Imperial Army will be the Hammer, you will be the spear, striking with speed and precision to achieve utter chaos and destruction behind enemy lines."

This time, the Stormcloaks cheered, but the Imperials didn't complain. With both forces' training laid out before them, Faasnu concluded, "I will not lie; many of you will not survive the battles ahead. Our enemy will be battle-hardened and waiting for us. But you are the best of the best. The few. The proud. We will prevail or die trying!"

"Victory or death!" One of the Imperials shouted. At that moment, the Imperials and Stormcloaks let loose a loud "URA!" They were eager to get started.

_Here we go, into another war, to hell and back once more,_ Faasnu repeated the quote from Dragonarian General Kylet'oran Jek'ari in his head. A quote said at the start of the First Kemoran War. This war would be no different – a war for the survival of an empire, the survival of an entire race. So began the Second Great War...

The weeks rolled by in what seemed to be days. The Imperial and Stormcloak soldiers continued to show an incredible aptitude for the DMC-supplied weapons. To test them, Faasnu had the materialization machine create a holographic training simulation machine, which he installed in an underground complex. They passed their tests magnificently. By the time Faasnu began gearing up to infiltrate Thalmor territory, the two hundred troops that Faasnu had personally trained had transformed the Empire and Stormcloak forces into a fighting force ready to take on the Thalmor. Emperor Titus Meade himself toured the training facility and camps, and was himself impressed with Faasnu's work.

The day Faasnu was getting ready to infiltrate Thalmor territory, he was visited by his staunch allies, Tullius and Ulfric, and Paarthurnax himself came to see his godson off.

"Off to hit the Thalmor where it hurts, eh?" Tullius asked.

"This isn't that kind of mission, _onik fahdon,_" Faasnu responded. "We need to know who we're up against."

"Either way, good luck," Tullius said. "You'll need it with the Thalmor."

"We brought you a little something," Ulfric said. "Something to thank you and help you on your way." Ulfric tossed Faasnu a sheathed katana. "I believe you'll find the blade... familiar."

Faasnu inspected the blade, finding it identical to the katana he already had. He sheathed the katana and put it on his belt. "Thank you, old friend," he told him.

"Be careful out there, _kul_," Paarthurnax cautioned Faasnu as he got ready to hop onto Odahviing's back. "The Thalmor will not take kindly to your intrusion into their territory."

"I know," Faasnu replied. "I aim to be careful." He looked back at Ulfric and Tullius. "If I'm not back in a week, set the beacon. I've left instructions in my desk that should guide you through it. Call in the cavalry, and give the Thalmor hell."

That said, he hopped onto Odahviing's back, and rode out into the nighttime darkness before Odahviing's cloaking device – supplied by Faasnu – made him disappear like a ghost.

"Take care, Faasnu," Ulfric said solemnly. "And may Talos preserve you."

"Indeed," Paarthurnax agreed. "But I doubt Faasnu will need such a thing. He has done these kinds of missions many times before he met us; he will survive."

"Let's hope you're right, Paarthurnax," Tullius stated. With Faasnu on his way to his mission, Ulfric, Tullius and Paarthurnax retired for the night, hoping the warrior whom the Empire's fate – and the fate of the rest of Tamriel – rested on, returned safely...


	5. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 4

Chapter Four

It was well into night time when Faasnu and Odahviing made it to the Thalmor Embassy. Fearing for his dragon comrade's safety, Faasnu had Odahviing land a kilometer away from the Embassy, in case the Thalmor had deployed any sort of anti-aircraft or anti-dragon emplacements in or around the Embassy since Dovahkiin's last visit there.

"Are you certain you can handle this on your own, Faasnu?" Odahviing asked. "Even Dovahkiin took precautions before infiltrating Thalmor territory."

"If I wasn't certain of this, _zeymah_, neither of us would be here," Faasnu answered. "But one way or the other, we need to find out who the Thalmor have allied with."

"You have an idea of who, yes?" Odahviing asked, looking back at Faasnu as he got the last of his equipment.

"If I had to guess," Faasnu responded, "I'd say it's the Zurrak or one of the other ex-Necromyan client races."

"Like who?" Odahviing queried.

"Luranni, Fasheen, splinter elements of the Charn and Squarr," Faasnu answered.

"How many client races were in this... Necromyan Collective?" Odahviing inquired.

"Eight," Faasnu responded. "Stularr, Terudall, Squarr, Charn, Luranni, Zurrak, Fasheen and Kirn. Most of the Necromyan client races are allies of the Corps now. The Necromyan Collective all but fell apart and dissolved after the Marauder War."

Odahviing paused, weighing his words before he spoke, "What if the Thalmor don't have any documents detailing their allies?"

"Then I'll find someone and eavesdrop on their conversation; this suit records my ops for review later," Faasnu explained. "Trust me, _zeymah_ – I've got everything covered."

Faasnu loaded a magazine into his weapon – an advanced, integrally-suppressed RX Hybrid H3M2 – and racked a round into the chamber. "I'll signal you when I'm ready for extraction."

"And if the dominion detects your presence?" Odahviing asked tactfully.

"While I doubt the Dominion and it's Thalmor agents have the ability to track someone in adaptive camouflage," Faasnu replied, "If things get hot, you come in and get me out."

"Will do," Odahviing said. "Take care, Dovahkiir."

Faasnu keyed a combination in his gauntlet and vanished, moving unusually quiet for someone in an armored suit as bulky as the MASRA SOPIS MK IX Faasnu wore.

Elven affairs in Skyrim were coming apart at the seams. The Empire and the Stormcloaks were uniting, there could be no questioning that. First Emissary Elenwen had been transferred to Skyrim after the Thalmor emissary was sent to a reeducation camp in Summerset Isle for mistakenly assuming that the alliance between the Empire and the Stormcloak Rebellion wouldn't last. They were training their troops, and, on top of that, making strikes against Thalmor outposts. Moreover, they were fortifying multiple holds with things not even Thalmor scouts could identify. The city of Whiterun was the most fortified, by far. What few Thalmor spies that Elenwen had left reported that a single man – a man named Faasnu Dovahkiir, the supposed son of Dovahkiin – was behind this sudden rearmament. Initially, Elenwen thought that a mere human wouldn't be able to accomplish such things – but the evidence was overwhelming. Elenwen had sent assassins to take the human out, but none returned. Elenwen assumed they had been terminated.

Fortunately for the Dominion, there was a silver lining in this crisis; the Dominion's allies had a ship in orbit above the skies of Nirn, and were now eager to begin landing their troops. Something about how Faasnu's ship appeared and crashed in Skyrim had stirred them up into a frenzy – they seemed... fearful. If Elenwen had the intel correct, they believed that if Faasnu was here, the faction he served – one Dragon'taan Marauder Corps – would not be far behind.

Recent reports from Thalmor scouts that hadn't been killed and managed to make it back to Dominion territory indicated that Faasnu left Whiterun on the back of a Dragon, but why he left was unclear. It was possible that he left to gather allies among the dragons of Nirn, but who could tell? Given that Faasnu and the Dragon left two days prior to the report, it was anyone's guess as to where they were now.

So, as Elenwen stood to look out a window, she considered the possibility that – given Faasnu's affiliation – perhaps he was on his way to infiltrate Thalmor territory. A bold guess, but one that was just as possible as the former scenario.

Time would tell...

Faasnu crept toward the Thalmor Embassy, well northwest of Solitude. So far, Odahviing had maintained radio silence. Hell, he refrained from making _any_ kind of noise, and the Thalmor gave no indication that they were aware of Faasnu's presence. And Faasnu intended to keep it that way.

He crept up through the snow toward one entrance, and noticed a pair of Aldmeri elven guards, one at the top of a set of stairs and another on the ground. The moment Faasnu took one out, the other would raise the alarm. He would have to take them both...

Such as it was, no planning was necessary; the top guard told the other he was going inside for a break, and left, leaving the one guard alone. Faasnu paused to consider his options. He could easily open fire, and take the guard out, but the guard may scream when he's shot, giving Faasnu's position away. On the other hand, Faasnu could knock him unconscious, and drag him off somewhere where it would be assumed he fell asleep. He settled in with the second option, and crept up on the soldier. He raised his weapon, and brought it down on his head with a dull _thump!_ That done, he dragged the unconscious guard to a secluded corner and leaned him against the wall. Faasnu then doubled back to the entrance, and was about to reach for the door when it started to open. Faasnu scrambled to the side and waited. The one guard from earlier came out, and, seeing that his companion was gone, began calling his name. Faasnu waited for the door to shut, then bashed the soldier in the back of the head with the butt of his rifle. The elf was unconscious instantly, and Faasnu dragged him over to his pal, and leaned him against the opposite wall.

Satisfied with his progress thus far, Faasnu entered the Thalmor Embassy quietly, slowly opening and closing the door so as not to alert anyone nearby. Faasnu made a full circuit around the room, and found it empty. Satisfied that the immediate area was secure, Faasnu moved on, keeping his rifle ready to fire. He moved through another door and into the Embassy courtyard. For an embassy of the Aldmeri Dominion, the Thalmor embassy was surprisingly empty, not only of troops, but of material and everything else, for that matter. It raised an interesting question: Were the Thalmor pulling out, or were they moving their HQ in Skyrim elsewhere?

A door opening caused Faasnu to duck into an alcove.

"You hear about our new allies?" asked one elf, talking to another as they walked out the door together.

"Yeah," the other one said. "What were they called again?"

"Zurrak," the first answered, "With their Luranni Marines and their Fasheen warriors."

"I wonder: Why do these... aliens wish to fight for us?" the second asked.

"Who cares?" the first countered. "As long as they are willing to fight. When the Empire is cleansed from the land, the Dominion will assume it's rightful place as Tamriel's ruler... and we can perhaps begin to explore the reaches of space."

_Not good,_ Faasnu thought. _I'll need to find some evidence of the Thalmor's alliance with the Zurrak._

Faasnu waited until the duo passed out of earshot, then made for the office of the Emissary. According to the available data, the Emissary's name was Elenwen. Whether or not she was here was unclear, however – if she _was_ here, Faasnu would have to find some way to draw her out, away from her office.

As though the divines themselves wished to help, Elenwen stepped out of the office building, and wandered off elsewhere. Perfect. Faasnu headed into the office building, and moved quietly from one desk to the next, looking through each one to find evidence to confirm what he recorded. He reached Elenwen's desk and looked through it, finding a number of documents and a holorecording. Accessing it in his armor, he viewed the only log entry, one containing a conversation between Elenwen and a Zurrak Cyborg.

_"__... Interesting that you are willing to aid us in our fight against the Empire, so I have to ask – what do you stand to gain?"_

_"__We think you'd be an invaluable ally to us. After the fall of the Necromyan Collective, we who remained loyal to the Necromyan ideals found we were outnumbered and betrayed. We hope that, given time, you would consider joining us in creating a new collective."_

_"__Of course, but we must be sure you are sincere. I'm sure you understand."_

_"__Certainly. After all, we would ask the same of you had our positions been reversed. Now, regarding this... Liiraan prisoner of yours... the one known as Kabier?"_

_"__What of her?"_

_"__You know she has ties to the Argonian Royal Family and the Argonian Military?"_

_"__Yes, we are well aware of that; why do you ask?"_

_"__We believe she knows something we wish to know, or at the very least, will know how to reach someone who knows where we might find the shipment of weapons that was stolen by Argonian Raiders under her command."_

_"__Oh, of course. If you feel it necessary, feel free to interrogate her. We have her down in the cell block beneath our Embassy in Skyrim. She-"_

Faasnu turned off the recording. He stored what he found and made his way to what he believed to be the prison block. As soon as he opened the door, an elf called out from below, "Mistress Elenwen, is that you?"

Faasnu didn't answer. His armor could mimic voices, but he didn't have a sample of Elenwen's...

_Wait a sec,_ Faasnu thought. He had the Holorecording. He accessed it, took a sample of Elenwen's voice, and spoke.

"How goes the interrogation?" he asked.

The elf paused. "I thought we were leaving the interrogation to our alien allies?" he asked.

_Dammit!_ Faasnu cursed under his breath. He assessed the situation – the interrogator was alone, save for a guard guarding the door of the cell that Kabier was in. Faasnu rose from cover, decloaked, and fired two bursts that took down both the Thalmor soldiers. With any luck, he'd finished them quietly enough. No additional troops came to investigate, and Elenwen didn't come running. Faasnu headed down the stairs, nabbed the cell key off the interrogator, and opened the cell Kabier was in. She looked like a beautiful – if young – anthropomorphic Lioness with a thin body from borderline malnutrition and scarred from previous interrogations. Kabier looked defiantly at him.

"Princess Kabier, I presume?" Faasnu asked.

"Not exactly 'princess,' but who's asking?" Kabier inquired. "You're not Necromyan or Elven, I can see that much. Who are you?"

"Sergeant Major Faasnu Dovahkiir, Dragon'taan Marauder Corps," Faasnu introduced himself. "Heard you were being held prisoner, and I came to bust you out of here."

Kabier's expression lightened almost instantaneously. "Why didn't you say so? Just unlock these chains and let me grab my gear."

Faasnu did as was requested of him, and asked Kabier, "You sure you can move?"

"Given the circumstances, I think I can run," the lioness answered. She went rummaging through the detainee lockdown chest, and equipped herself with a DMC-issue tactical vest and an archaic-looking assault rifle reminiscent of the old AK47.

"An RX Kalashnikov AK50M8 and a DMC Tactical Vest?" Faasnu queried, "Where the hell did you get those?"

"Fell from a ship that crashed near Whiterun – almost hit me, too," Kabier answered. "Took me a while to figure out how to get this vest on; the gun I learned to use in an hour."

"Yeah, well, the RX Kalashnikov line of weapons is known for simplicity," Faasnu commented.

The Thalmor were still unaware of Faasnu's presence in the Embassy; the two soldiers entering the prison block were just performing a routine check on the area when they spotted Faasnu and Kabier. Both Faasnu and Kabier shot one of the soldiers and killed them.

"Come on," Faasnu requested, "Someone may have heard that."

"You do know that the one basement passageway has been sealed, right?" Kabier asked.

"Frankly, I didn't know there was one in the first place," Faasnu replied. "We're gonna have to fight our way through whatever Thalmor troops are up topside."

"Are there a lot of them?" Kabier inquired.

"Not really," Faasnu admitted. "I think they're pulling out. Where they're going is hard to say."

"I think I overheard the guards talking one night," Kabier said, "Something about how they found a new HQ somewhere to the east."

"We can worry about this later," Faasnu said. "Let's get out of here first."

"Have you a way to escape?" Kabier asked.

"I have a dragon waiting nearby – Odahviing. He can get us to safety," Faasnu explained. "Come on."

Faasnu and Kabier headed up through the door to the offices, and promptly ran into a Thalmor investigation team that was headed for the prison block. Faasnu and Kabier fired simultaneously, drilling the team in a short burst from both their weapons. Outside, a Thalmor patrol spotted Faasnu and Kabier killing the investigator team and shouted the alarm.

However, as soon as Faasnu and Kabier stepped outside, they were greeted by the sight of an armored Odahviing attacking the Thalmor troops. Faasnu and Kabier aided him in wiping out the Thalmor, then climbed onto Odahviing's back and took to the skies without a word...


	6. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 5

Chapter Five

It had been five days since Faasnu left on his mission. There hadn't been a peep from him. No one was assuming he was dead, but Balgruuf was worried that something may have happened. Ulfric and Tullius were just as worried. While meeting with Paarthurnax, Balgruuf, Tullius and Ulfric discussed options.

"The Thalmor are preparing for war, there can be no doubting that," Balgruuf said.

"Agreed," Tullius stated. "My spies have reported ships from the stars bringing in alien troops in Dominion territory. They're gearing up to hit us hard – but where?"

"I think they may be gearing up to hit Whiterun," Ulfric suggested. "My sources are certain on this."

"Then we must activate that beacon," Tullius said. "Let Faasnu's allies find us."

"With respect, General Tullius," Paarthurnax told Tullius, "Faasnu said to wait. It's not been a full week yet – we must wait for Faasnu's return. He-"

A Whiterun guard entered the area and bowed to Balgruuf. "My Jarl," he said, "Faasnu's been sighted nearby; he'll be arriving any minute."

"Thank you, soldier," Balgruuf said. He looked to Ulfric and Tullius. "Let's not keep Faasnu waiting. He'll no doubt have the intel he was looking for."

Ulfric, Tullius and Balgruuf walked out into Whiterun, just in time to see Faasnu and a lioness woman get off Odahviing's back. Faasnu called up something in Dovah to Odahviing, who just laughed and flew off. Faasnu and the lioness began to walk toward Dragonsreach, and Ulfric frowned.

"I know that woman," he said. "Kabier Lionheart – ex-member of the Argonian Military, before she moved to Windhelm."

"I'm assuming something happened to her?" Tullius asked.

"She disappeared two days after she found an armored chest piece and a gun that fell from Faasnu's ship when it passed over Windhelm," Ulfric explained. "No one knew what happened to her, but I suspected the Thalmor grabbed her."

Faasnu arrived at Dragonsreach, where he and Kabier bowed to Balgruuf.

"You're just in time, Faasnu," Balgruuf said. "We were just discussing you."

"Then I'd suggest we move this conversation inside with Uncle Paarthurnax," Faasnu requested. "What Kabier and I discovered is for our ears alone – for now."

The group headed inside, while Kabier asked, "Did I hear that right? The dragon leader is your uncle?"

"My godfather, actually," Faasnu responded.

"This just keeps getting better," Kabier chuckled.

Tullius, Balgruuf, Ulfric, Faasnu and Kabier entered the dragon den of Dragonsreach, where Paarthurnax was waiting.

"Faasnu!" Paarthurnax greeted Faasnu. "Good to see you unharmed. I... see you have a friend."

"Uncle Paarthurnax, this is Kabier Lionheart," Faasnu introduced Kabier. "She's a new ally of ours in the situation I am about to brief you all on."

Faasnu then went on to recount the details of his op, showing the documents and the recordings he had. He also explained the nature and origins of the races allied with the Aldmeri Dominion. When he finished, there was a long, uncomfortable pause. This was it. This was war.

"Now that we know who the Thalmor have allied with," Balgruuf finally said, "There's but one thing left to do."

"Activate that beacon, bring the DMC running," Tullius finished.

Faasnu nodded, then looked to Kabier. "I hate to ask this of you and your Argonian friends, but we'll need every ally we can get against the Dominion and their Necromyan allies," he said. "Will you help us?"

"The Argonians have no more love for the Dominion than the Empire does," Kabier explained. "While I am hardly in a position to speak on behalf of the Argonians, I can say for certain that we will stand with you."

"Then we are ready to start this war in earnest," Ulfric said solemnly.

"Then it begins," Paarthurnax commented. "The beginning of the second Great War."

Faasnu walked over to the beacon he salvaged from his ship, fiddled with it, and then stepped away. "It's active," he reported. "Let's hope the Corps detects it in short order."

With nothing left to do but wait, the heroes split up, returning to their duties...

General Kyle Indari enjoyed shore leave with his wife. Even the High General of the Dragon'taan Marauder Corps needed a little R &amp; R now and again. Still, as this shore leave drew to a close, he sensed something was going on, elsewhere in the galaxy. It wasn't until he woke one morning that he got his answer. He had just gotten into uniform when his subspace transmitter beeped with an incoming call. He answered it, and said,

"General Indari here."

"Sir," one of his subordinates said, "We just received a subspace beacon signal."

"Location?" Indari asked.

"A little-known world – local sources ID the world as Nirn. The beacon is originating from the province known as Skyrim," the subordinate reported.

Indari thought for a moment, and as comprehension dawned, he ordered, "Gather Strike Fleet Zero; we're heading out."

Indari knew what this meant – the beacon at Skyrim was Sergeant Major Faasnu continuing his father's quest, and he was letting Indari know that which his father suspected; that the Necromyans were involved in affairs unfolding there.

_Here we go again,_ Indari thought...

In recognition for Faasnu's service to Whiterun and the Empire, Jarl Balgruuf gave Faasnu and Kabier a home in Whiterun, called Breezehome. Kabier, glad to be out of prison and grateful to Faasnu for his rescue of her, vowed to aid Faasnu in his quests. As such, Faasnu materialized a set of the MASRA SPOIS MK IX Armor he wore for Kabier.

One night, as Kabier read in her room, she heard Faasnu, talking in his sleep. From what she could hear, he was having one hell of a nightmare. Kabier felt a small pang of pity in her heart, and put her book down. It was then that Faasnu awoke with a scream. Fearing he was in trouble, Kabier grabbed her rifle and rushed to Faasnu's room, seeing him getting up covered in sweat.

"Are you alright?" Kabier asked.

Kabier's voice startled Faasnu, and he nearly jumped three feet in the air. He went for his rifle, pointing it at Kabier. Realizing it was her, Faasnu lowered his weapon and said, "Sorry – you scared me."

"I'll be fine," Kabier said, "But the question is, will _you_ be?"

Faasnu sighed. "Just a nightmare," he told Kabier. "It happens from time to time."

Kabier safetied her weapon, then leaned it against a wall. "May I ask what it was regarding?" she asked.

"You may ask, but the answer is a long story," Faasnu answered.

Kabier sat down next to Faasnu. "We've got a while before the DMC finds us, so humor me," she requested.

Faasnu heaved a sigh. "It... goes back to the Marauder War," he said. "I served in the latter years of it."

"What is the Marauder War?" Kabier asked.

"The war against the same enemy allied with the Dominion – the Necromyans," Faasnu answered.

"Serving in war is never easy," Kabier said. "All that death... all that killing..."

"Have you ever killed anyone before?" Faasnu asked.

"Yes, many times," Kabier replied. "Even now, the people I killed haunt me."

"Then you understand why I have nightmares of the war," Faasnu stated. "I've killed so many... and still, I kill, in the name of the people I serve. But the dead still haunt me, even though I've learned not to let them; I can sometimes hear them asking me, 'why? Why did you kill me?'"

"If you hadn't killed them, they would have killed you," Kabier said.

"I know," Faasnu sighed. "That's what I keep telling myself. But it doesn't make the blood on my hands go away."

Kabier put an arm around Faasnu's shoulders, looking into his eyes. "Don't torment yourself," she told him. "If ever you need someone to talk to, I'm here."

Faasnu looked at Kabier. "Thanks," he said.

There was a long pause, as they looked into each other's eyes, before Kabier commented, "I've never seen a human with dragon eyes."

"Well, honestly, I'm not entirely human; I'm one-half dragon-shifter," Faasnu told her.

"Oh?" Kabier asked. "What's the dragon-shifter home world like?"

"In all honesty, it's not unlike this world," Faasnu said. "It's a beautiful place – and we on Dragon'taan all live, fight, and die side by side with dragons and dragon-shifters."

"Well, the people here on Nirn have had a troubled history with Dragons," Kabier said.

"Yes, so I've heard," Faasnu commented. "But that changed when my father came here, didn't it?"

"It did," Kabier affirmed. "In fact, I made friends with one of them – a dragon named Aldovulom." She paused, then asked, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Faasnu responded.

"Back at the Thalmor Embassy... why did you rescue me?" Kabier inquired.

"Whatever blood is in your veins, no one – not even an Liiraan woman as yourself – deserves to die there," Faasnu explained. "I had other reasons, but... I'd rather not get into them at this point."

"Fair enough," Kabier said. "However, I think-"

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. Faasnu dressed and grabbed his rifle, and Kabier got the feeling he sensed something was going on. She hurried into her armor and followed Faasnu to the door, and saw Tullius and Ulfric there when he opened it.

"We've got problems," Tullius said.


	7. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Intelligence reports indicated it, and scouts confirmed it. The Dominion and their Necromyan allies were marching on Whiterun. The soldiers of the Imperial Army were already inside Whiterun, gearing up to hit the enemy with anti-armor rockets, machine guns, explosives, and everything else in their vast arsenal. The Stormcloaks were also present, ready to hit the enemy hard should they make it inside the city walls. The shield generator around Whiterun was active, encasing the city in a dome of glowing energy.

The Dominion had some new toys of their own; a number of tanks riding on hovercraft chassis and a number of Necromyan artillery cannons. There were a number of races arrayed against the defenders of Whiterun; the High Elves of the Aldmeri Dominion, the bird-like Luranni, the squid-like Squarr, and the cyborg Zurrak. All of them were armed with rifles, pistols, and grenades.

"First battle?" Faasnu asked Kabier.

"First major engagement, yes," Kabier admitted.

"Nervous?" Faasnu asked.

"A little, yeah," Kabier said.

"Don't worry; I've got your back," Faasnu assured his lioness companion.

"Yeah?" Kabier queried sarcastically. "Who's got yours?"

Faasnu looked quizzically to Kabier, and his look made her chuckle. "Then it begins," she said.

The Necromyan cannons opened fire, the energy shells smacking against the shields and making the imperials cheer. After about five minutes of being bombarded, and the shields giving no sign of wavering, the cannons ceased fire, and the troops began to advance.

"MG positions, fire at will!" Faasnu commanded as the enemy troops began walking through the shields.

With an ear-splitting roar, the many heavy machine gun positions opened up on the enemy forces. Multitudes of them went down, and the others used every bit of the terrain for cover.

"Contact rear!" someone shouted over the radio. "Enemy drop ships! They're trying to flank us!"

"Take them down!" Tullius ordered.

Anti-aircraft rockets were fired, and nailed two of the four drop ships before they could unload their troops. The other two dropped troops down into Whiterun, behind the city walls. The Thalmor troops floated down on anti-gravity beams before the drop ships flew off.

"Here we go!" Faasnu exclaimed as he and Kabier headed out to engage the enemy troops. It didn't take long to spot them; they made no effort to be subtle as they made for the shield generator, defended by the Stormcloak Special Force's best troops. Oddly enough, Faasnu and Kabier appeared right on their rear flank, a fact they used to their advantage as they rolled a pair of fragmentation grenades into the enemy formation. The grenades detonated simultaneously, taking down half of the enemy troops present, and Faasnu and Kabier moved in and mopped up what was left.

"Heads up!" an Imperial solder proclaimed over the radio. "Two more drop ships! They've got two escorts!"

"Quickly, take out the escorts before they take out the shield generator!" Faasnu barked.

Missiles lashed up, and blew the escorts out of the sky. The drop ships dropped a payload of a dozen Luranni marines each, then left. With the machine guns on the walls and towers busy keeping the enemy outside the walls pinned down, it was havoc within the walls. SSF troops engaged the enemy, and Faasnu and Kabier aided them by killing any alien in sight.

After hours defending Whiterun, the enemy began to fall back. Those that could run made for the safety of their encampments; those that couldn't were picked off one after the other by Stormcloak snipers.

"We have them on the run! We did it!" someone shouted over the radio.

"They are not retreating; they are regrouping," Ulfric said. "They'll be back."

"Neither the Necromyans nor the Dominion will give up easily," Faasnu agreed. "Keep your guard up."

"Hell of a first fight," Kabier commented.

"How do you feel?" Faasnu asked.

"Strangely powerful," Kabier admitted.

"Good – but don't let it go to your head," Faasnu warned her. "That'll get you killed."

With the first battle over Whiterun over, Faasnu and Kabier headed to Breezehome to rest, preparing for the next fight...

While Kabier rested upstairs, Faasnu got water ready for a bath. It had been a few days since his last one, and he was eager to wash the smell of blood off. What Faasnu wasn't aware of was that Kabier had awakened, and was headed downstairs to take a bath herself. She had towels and a bath robe, and unwittingly walked up behind Faasnu.

"Oh! Excuse me..." She said.

At this point, Faasnu was taking off his shirt, revealing the scars on his back. "Don't worry about it," he said, "Firstly, it's just us in here – and second, I've had people do me worse before."

"Good god," Kabier said, indicating Faasnu's scars, "What did that to you?"

"What, all these?" Faasnu asked, "Got these during an op I was captured on. Spent six months in a Necromyan prison, getting ten lashes across the back every month before I escaped and blew the prison sky-high."

"Damn," Kabier commented.

"Trust me," Faasnu said as he tapped two fingers to his head, "The scars in here are much worse."

"How do you keep yourself going?" Kabier asked.

Faasnu shrugged. "Not sure I understand it myself," he said.

"I have plenty of scars, myself," Kabier stated. She pulled the sleeve of her robe and bared her right arm, revealing a scar that ran up her wrist. "Torture thing a bandit did to me before I took his ass down."

"Oh yeah?" Faasnu chuckled. "Check this out." He lifted an arm and showed a rough patch of his skin where he'd apparently been dragged. "Got caught on a car one time, and I was dragged for half a block with no shirt."

"Jeez," Kabier murmured, running her fingers along the texture of Faasnu's scar. She then pulled part of the robe down to reveal a scar where an arrow had penetrated her shoulder. "Look at this," she said. "Some idiot hunter mistook my shoulder for a bird, shot an arrow right through."

"Ouch," Faasnu said as he examined the scar. Then, he began to completely remove his shirt as he added, "Bet I can beat it."

"No, I'll... take your word for it," Kabier said, feeling blushed.

"No, come on – this is the main event!" Faasnu chuckled.

"I said no," Kabier insisted, "I'll take your word for it."

There was a pause before Faasnu said, "Hey, you started this."

"Yeah, well... I can end it," Kabier responded.

"For a lioness, you sure are a poor loser," Faasnu commented.

"I didn't lose, I conceded," Kabier corrected him.

"No, you were losing," Faasnu said with a mischievous smile.

"There's a difference between losing and conceding," Kabier chuckled, feeling Faasnu's infectious smile coming on. "I conceded."

"You conceded or you're conceited?" Faasnu asked.

"You think I'm conceited? I think-" Kabier started.

In a struggle that lasted less than a second, Faasnu unexpectedly pulled Kabier into a deep, passionate kiss, and it sparked something, an instinct, deep in Kabier's mind. When he broke the kiss, Faasnu and Kabier stared at each other, both of them unsure of what to say or do.

"Are you going to slap the shit out of me, now?" Faasnu asked quietly.

"I'll do more than that," Kabier replied. Letting her instincts take over, she put one leg behind Faasnu and forced him to the floor, her own body landing on top of his, as she kissed him as he kissed her.

_So much for a bath,_ Faasnu thought as he wrapped his arms around Kabier...


	8. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

A kiss, a bath, and a night of love was all the rest Faasnu and Kabier needed. As they slept wrapped in each other's arms, they lay unaware of the impending enemy strike. In the early hours of the morning, long before the sun came up over the horizon, the alarm blared and anti-aircraft guns began pounding. Faasnu and Kabier hurried into their armor and grabbed their rifles, and headed outside, meeting up with Tullius.

"What are we looking at this time?" Faasnu asked.

"Dominion assault force riding in on Necromyan Stealth drop ships," Tullius responded. "It was lucky we detected them when we did."

"They inside the city, yet?" Kabier inquired.

"A few teams made it inside – if you hurry, you may catch them before they do whatever it is they're here to do!" Tullius answered.

Faasnu and Kabier rushed off into the city, and it wasn't long before they came across a team of Dominion troops making their way toward the shield generator. Needless to say, they didn't make it to their objective; the armored duo drilled them all dead before they knew what hit them.

It wasn't the end, however; another drop ship dropped a team of Thalmor Saboteurs, who then opened fire on Faasnu and Kabier. But, in their haste to attack, they failed to check their rear flank, and were gunned down by a squad of Stormcloak troops, who had happened to wander into the area.

"Sergeant," Faasnu asked the senior NCO present, "What's the situation?"

"We've got Dominion forces dropping in everywhere," the Sergeant replied. "We think they're trying to take down the shield generator to allow their artillery to level the city!"

"Is the generator defended?" Kabier asked.

"Yes, ma'am," the sergeant responded. "We've got MG positions encircling the generator – it's safe."

"Ulfric to Faasnu," Ulfric said over the radio. "We've got problems, over."

"What's new?" Faasnu asked. "Over."

"We intercepted an encrypted communication from the enemy – they're sending stealth fighters to knock out the generator, over!" Ulfric exclaimed.

"Deploy the Stealth Nullifiers!" Faasnu barked. "It's the only chance we'll have at taking those bastards-"

"Too late! Take cover!" Kabier exclaimed. She dove in one direction, tackling Faasnu to the ground. An explosion rocked under the shields, sending debris everywhere.

But something wasn't right. The shield was still active. So, what exploded? It took only a glance up to learn what was going on; a massive starship with a narrow, horizontally-thin profile was descending through the clouds as the morning sun came up – a DMC Ravager-class Planetary Assault Cruiser.

The Dragon'taan Marauder Corps was here.

"This is General Kyle Indari to allied forces," said a familiar voice to Faasnu over the radio, "The Dragon'taan Marauder Corps stands ready to assist. Sergeant Major Faasnu, are we too late for the party?"

"No, you're just in time, sir!" Faasnu responded with glee.

The Ravager was soon followed by two more ravagers that landed in areas around Whiterun, deploying gravity beams to anchor them to the ground. One of them had it's broadside facing the enemy, and opened up with a barrage of disruptor cannons and gauss cannons. The enemy artillery was decimated, and the enemy chose that moment to fall back.

As the allied troops watched the Dominion and Necromyan forces retreat, they cheered.

"We did it," Kabier said. "We won."

"Yes," Faasnu responded, "The Battle for Whiterun is over... but the Battle for Tamriel has only just begun."

With the Dominion forces and their Necromyan allies driven back, Faasnu decided the time was perfect for a counterattack. With the timely arrival of DMC forces, the Imperial and Stormcloak armies now had access to even more deadly technology – battle tanks, artillery cannons, assault fighters, helicopter gunships, and more.

However, a coded message was received from one of the DMC warships that touched down near Windhelm. This warship was being sieged by the Dominion and their Necromyan allies. Ulfric, not wanting to see his city and hold burn, urged Faasnu to turn his attention to Windhelm. With assurances that the forces at Whiterun would hold until his return, Faasnu agreed, and took a transport – guarded by a flight group of Skyrim's dragons – to Windhelm.

The situation at Windhelm was both better and worse than anticipated. The landed DMC warship – one DMC Victorious-class Attack Cruiser called the _Dragoon_ – hovered above Windhelm on an antigravity beam anchored in the center of the city. The _Dragoon_ Projected a shield around the city to protect it from a variety of attacks, and it was under bombardment from recently-deployed Dominion artillery cannons.

The first objective was simple: Knock out the Dominion artillery positions bombarding the _Dragoon_'s shields to allow a brief respite to recharge the shields. To this end, SSF troops led by Faasnu and Ulfric landed in an area just south of the enemy artillery positions so as not to alert them of the action. Faasnu and Kabier hopped off the drop ship and met Ulfric at the center of the gathered squad of Stormcloak troops.

"Faasnu, Kabier, good," Ulfric greeted them, "I was about to brief the men on our objectives."

"Don't let us stop you," Kabier commented. She was subsequently elbowed by Faasnu.

"Show some respect," he told her.

Whether or not Ulfric took any offense to Kabier's comment wasn't clear as he began, "Alright, men; the war against the Dominion has begun... again. And with our new allies, we will take the fight to the Dominion and their bigoted, rigid Thalmor agents! This time, _they_ will be the ones to be driven back! _They_ will be the ones to broker a treaty to save their cowardly hides! This time, _we_ will emerge victorious!"

The troops let loose a war-ready cheer, either unaware or uncaring of any enemy sentries in the vicinity. Faasnu kept an eye on his motion tracker.

"Our objective today is the Thalmor-manned Artillery positions firing on our home city of Windhelm," Ulfric continued. "We must destroy these cannons, then finish any stragglers that remain. Sergeant Major Faasnu, anything to say?"

"Just this, boys and girls," Faasnu responded as he walked through the ranks with Kabier. "Keep your eyes downrange, fingers on your triggers, and we all go home in one piece. Am I right, Stormcloaks?!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" the Stormcloaks shouted.

"Damn right, I am," Faasnu said. "Let's move out! Staggered formation, double-time!"

The troops headed out in the requested formation, and Faasnu, Kabier and Ulfric kept at the head of the formation. It wasn't long before they came across the artillery positions.

"Man, this brings back memories," Faasnu mumbled.

"Seen these things before?" Kabier asked.

"Yep," Faasnu affirmed. "These cannons are based on an inverse version of the old German Flak 88 Cannons – notoriously easy to destroy. I've no idea why the Thalmor are using these."

"Their mistake," Ulfric said. "How do we attack?"

"Well," Faasnu began, "Given that your troops' armor doesn't have the same shielding that you, Kabier and I have, I'd say we stage a frontal assault while your boys attack their flank. We'll drill these Thalmor bastards and then blast the cannons to hell, then high-tail it to Windhelm and see what the situation's like."

"Perhaps when we secure Windhelm," Kabier suggested, "We can take a trip to Black Marsh. I know the Argonian Royal Family would be anxious to meet you."

"Perhaps," Faasnu responded, "But we may not have any time for a 'meet my friends' get-together."

"Who said anything about something like that?" Kabier asked. "I was suggesting we make an alliance with the other Argonians."

"Oh," Faasnu said. He frowned, then asked, "Didn't you already suggest that?"

"You two done?" Ulfric chuckled.

Per the plan, the Stormcloak troops snuck around to one of the Thalmor flanks, and Ulfric, Kabier and Faasnu made for another. Then, when everyone was in position, Ulfric pulled the pin on a high-explosive grenade and tossed it into the enemy fray. One of the Thalmor soldiers screamed in surprise, and was blown away when the grenade detonated, putting down half of the Thalmor troops. As an added bonus, the grenade ignited the Cannons' ammunition pile, and put two of the four big guns out of commission. Faasnu, Ulfric and Kabier rose from cover and assaulted the Thalmor, who were surprised to see them. While the Thalmor were busy with the three interlopers assaulting them from one direction, the Stormcloak troops came in from behind and decimated them. There were no survivors.

"Good work, men!" Faasnu told the troops. "Now lets rig these cannons to blow and high-tail it to Windhelm!"

The Stormcloak troops placed plastic explosives on the remaining cannons, then took drop ships to Windhelm as the cannons were blown apart. With Windhelm safe for the moment, Faasnu was eager to learn what the situation was...


	9. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The situation in Windhelm was teetering on the brink of disaster. Had it not been for the DMC warship that landed, the garrison at Windhelm would have been woefully undermanned and desperately undersupplied. With the arrival of both a Stormcloak force and DMC Marines, Galmar Stone-Fist – Ulfric's second-in-command – felt confident that Windhelm would be able to hold against an enemy attack. There was, however, another complication:

Recently, Dominion and Necromyan forces had captured a number of Windhelm's command staff, and taken them to a prison camp somewhere in the hold. Galmar was certain they hadn't been moved out of the hold, yet, as every exit from the hold was being guarded by the DMC.

"We received word that they'd been captured yesterday," Galmar explained. "We're not sure how the enemy managed it. Based on that intel alone, we are certain they haven't gotten far. We think they are somewhere near here," Galmar pointed to an area on the map near Windhelm, "Near Kynesgrove."

"What makes you say that?" Kabier asked.

"Because we lost contact with Kynesgrove shortly before we got attacked," Galmar replied.

"Then it's possible that the area you refer to may be the enemy's base for this region," Faasnu surmised.

"I agree," Ulfric agreed, "This seems too convenient; our men get captured, we lose contact with Kynesgrove, and Windhelm gets attacked in short order."

"What do you suggest we do?" Galmar asked.

"Well, now that Windhelm's been reinforced," Faasnu responded, "And secured from artillery bombardment, now would be the ideal time to launch a counterattack."

"Hit them before they have a chance to relocate their HQ," Kabier suggested in agreement.

"How?" Galmar asked. "We're hardly in any shape to attack!"

"No, but if you can spare a few men, I can hit the enemy so hard, it'll make their head spin," Faasnu said. He then began to lay out his plan of attack to Galmar and Ulfric listening intently...

Faasnu, Kabier and their team crept up into Kynesgrove – or rather, what was _left_ of Kynesgrove – under the stealth fields of their armors' personal cloaking devices. The devastation they saw around them answered why Windhelm lost contact with Kynesgrove; the town had been all but destroyed. In it's place was an enemy base camp. Not good.

"I guess this is why Windhelm lost contact with Kynesgrove," Kabier commented. "The place has been torched."

"And there are no survivors," Faasnu added. "Typical of the Necromyans."

"Suggestions?" Kabier asked.

"Stick to the plan," Faasnu said. "Split up. Sabotage anything and everything that can be sabotaged, bomb the rest."

The team split up, keeping quiet and keeping their cloaking devices active to avoid detection. Faasnu headed for the fuel dump, seeing that it was currently unguarded. He slipped in behind the tanks of fuel, and stopped. A Thalmor trooper was taking a break in the dark. It would be his last. Faasnu crept up behind the bastard, diamond katana drawn, and quickly covered his mouth as he stabbed him through the back, then sliced his throat. The bastard quietly gurgled, then died in the snow. Faasnu placed a small block of explosives on the center fuel tank, then dragged the Thalmor trooper's lifeless body behind a bush, and left, knowing that the blizzard now setting in would cover the blood in a new blanket of snow.

Faasnu then moved along the perimeter of the enemy base camp, spotting a series of troop transport vehicles, guarded by a pair of Luranni marines and a sole Thalmor soldier. One of the marines' radios squawked, and the two marines left, leaving the Thalmor by himself.

_Convenient,_ Faasnu thought. He approached the transports, then lured the Thalmor soldier into a dark corner. When he was sufficiently inside, he quietly flanked the soldier and brought his rifle butt down on his head with a dull _thwack!_ Satisfied with his progress thus far, Faasnu went on to rig the transports' engines to explode when started.

It was as he finished rigging the last transport that the Luranni marines returned to find their Thalmor comrade missing.

"Dammit," one cursed. "Fourth time today the bastard's gone missing."

"Probably doing his Skooma... again," the other said.

_A skooma addict?_ Faasnu thought. _The Thalmor aren't being too picky._

As the Luranni marines went looking for their comrade, Faasnu crawled out from under the transport. It was a mistake.

As soon as he emerged, a Luranni Marine was approaching the transports for a routine inspection. Seeing the barely-visible ghostly shimmer that was Faasnu under cloak, the Luranni muttered to himself, "What the hell...?"

As soon as he spotted Faasnu, another shimmer appeared behind him and smacked him over the head. The bastard was unconscious instantly.

"That's good timing, Kabier," Faasnu commented.

"What are friends for?" Kabier asked rhetorically.

Kabier and Faasnu dragged the unconscious marine to a dark corner and left him there. Throughout the camp, there was no sign of the enemy being aware of the team's presence. It was like they didn't even realize they'd been infiltrated. With the steadily-falling troop strength, Faasnu figured they would have noticed by now and raised the alarm. So what was so important as to divert their attention from the security of their own base camp? The answer came when Faasnu and Kabier reached an improvised prison area.

"At last!" one of the Stormcloak commanders whispered, "A friendly face! Kill the guard – he has the keys to our chains!"

Kabier was already on that point, silently and quickly decapitating the guard and taking his keys. Faasnu and Kabier unlocked the Stormcloaks' chains, helped them get their effects, and that was when the moment Faasnu feared arrived. The alarm sounded, and the radio went active.

"Alpha team to Faasnu – the explosives are in place, and the enemy is going apeshit," one of the teammates said. "We're headed for the rally point – meet you there, out."

"We ready to detonate?" Kabier asked as she de-cloaked.

"Hit it," Faasnu responded as he did the same. Kabier thumbed the detonation button on the detonator, and activated the sequence. Faasnu, Kabier, and their freed comrades dashed out of the prison area, guns blazing into any who crossed them. They headed out to the rally point, arriving just as the explosives began detonating one after the other.

"In-and-out, unsuspected and undetected," Kabier chuckled. "Damn, I love a good smash-and-grab!"

"Let's not break out the victory drinks, now, sweetheart," Faasnu said, "We're not out of the woods yet. We still have to get back to Windhelm."

"Thanks for getting us out of there," one of the commanders thanked Faasnu and Kabier. "We can make it to Windhelm from here. You go on ahead, report Kynesgrove's fate to Ulfric."

Faasnu nodded to acknowledge the commander, then headed off with Kabier. It took a few hours to reach Windhelm, and they arrived at the Palace of the Kings in short order.

"Faasnu! Kabier! Good to see you made it!" Ulfric greeted them.

"Your DMC allies sent word that they are picking up the men you rescued," Galmar said. "You did a great job."

"But what happened to Kynesgrove?" Ulfric asked.

"The Thalmor leveled Kynesgrove to establish a base camp," Faasnu reported.

"I trust you took down the Thalmor bastards responsible?" Ulfric asked.

"We leveled their base," Faasnu answered, "I estimate they will be unable to reestablish their base, both because of the mess we left behind and insufficient manpower."

It was then that a Stormcloak messenger appeared.

"Jarl Ulfric, General Galmar," he said, "We have reports that the Thalmor are on the move. They're falling back!"

"They're hemmed in," Faasnu said, "Nowhere to retreat; they have DMC and allied forces all over."

"Then we leave it to them to take care of what's left of the Thalmor in this region," Galmar said. He put a hand on Faasnu's shoulder and shook him as a sign of gratitude. "Windhelm thanks you, Faasnu Dovahkiir; we wouldn't have made it without your assistance."

Faasnu returned the gesture, and told him, "My father helped you once; I follow in his footsteps. We are the future of Skyrim and the Empire – and we will see the Thalmor banished from our home."

"With your allies at our side," Galmar agreed, "We will."

With Windhelm secure, Ulfric, Faasnu and Kabier boarded a waiting drop ship and headed back to Whiterun...


	10. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Elenwen looked over the latest reports her agents brought her. Whiterun and Windhelm were firmly in enemy hands, with the rest of Skyrim quickly being secured by the Empire and their Stormcloak and DMC allies. But, as with before, there was a silver lining; The Aldmeri Dominion's Necromyan allies had a strike force poised to attack the Imperial City in Cyrodiil. As an added bonus, the Necromyans aided the Thalmor forces in getting a strike force into Black Marsh, where they were poised to strike the capital of Helstrom. With any luck, this plan of attack would go through without any complications...

Drop ships landed on an improvised landing pad inside the Imperial City, Cyrodiil. Faasnu, Kabier, Ulfric and Tullius stepped off the drop ship, and made their way toward the Imperial Palace.

"Did Emperor Meade say what this was about?" Faasnu asked.

"Something about discussing new intelligence," Tullius replied, "That's all I know."

"I'm assuming he'll give us more details in private," Ulfric suggested. "Less of a risk that unfriendly ears would hear what we've gleaned."

"Then let's not keep him waiting," Faasnu suggested. Faasnu led the team into the Imperial Palace, where once inside the council chambers, Faasnu saw not only was Emperor Meade there, but so was General Indari and his wife. Faasnu immediately snapped to attention.

"General Indari, sir!"

"At ease, Sergeant Major," Indari said. "You've made quite a reputation here on Nirn. Securing Whiterun and Windhelm... infiltrating the Thalmor Embassy and stealing documents from the emissary's office, not to mention the rescue of a foreign member of the Argonian Military... that's quite a resume."

"I do what I can for my father's homeland, sir," Faasnu replied.

"Oh, we know," Emperor Meade agreed. "Dovahkiin was a great ally to us; he united the Empire against the Thalmor and the Dominion in a way no one thought possible. You've become indispensable to our cause."

"So much, Sergeant Major, that I feel you would better serve that cause as an Officer of the DMC instead of an NCO," Indari concluded. In an officious manner, Indari said, "Sergeant Major Faasnu Dovahkiir, in recognition for your many accomplishments, unswerving loyalty, and your unwavering dedication to not only the ideals of the Dragon'taan Marauder Corps, but the Empire of Tamriel, as well, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Captain. Congratulations."

"Thank you, sir!" Faasnu exclaimed in his military voice, snapping off a sharp salute to Indari. He took his badge of rank, and Meade said,

"Well, now that that's out of the way, take a seat; we have much to discuss." Everyone sat down, and Meade began, "Now, Faasnu – thanks to your efforts in bringing your allies here, we have been able to secure new intelligence regarding the enemy's battle plan."

"We know that the Necromyans and the Dominion both have forces in each province," Indari continued. "We also know for certain that they intend to strike the New Argonian capital of Helstrom. What we don't know is where the base camps of each enemy presence in the provinces are located."

"Is it possible that the Necromyans landed ships and are using some sort of cloaking device to hide the ships and surrounding camps from DMC sensors?" Faasnu asked.

"That's what we're thinking," Indari affirmed. "It would explain why we can't find their camps. Remember that op you did out on Terra VII? The one where you infiltrated a research facility and stole a shitload of documents?"

"Of course, sir," Faasnu said.

"One of the documents detailed a refit to a number of Necromyan Planetary Assault ships to utilize the sort of cloaking device you suggested," Indari said. "We believe that before we drove away the Necromyan fleet, they managed to land several of these in Imperial territory."

"Is there one here in Cyrodiil? Or in Skyrim?" Kabier asked.

"We destroyed the one in Skyrim when we landed; as far as Cyrodiil is concerned, however, the enemy didn't manage to land one here. We are certain they have a cloaked base around here, somewhere – we just don't know where," Indari explained. "While we try to ascertain when the enemy force in Black Marsh will strike, we would like for you to-"

It was then that an imperial courier came in, whispering in the Emperor's ear. Meade then looked to the others present. "Necromyans are on the move – they are headed here in drop ships."

"That was fast," Tullius said.

"We'll stay to protect the Emperor, Faasnu," Ulfric said. "You go out and stop the enemy attack!"

Faasnu and Kabier nodded, armored up and readied their weapons, and headed outside the palace. As soon as they did, they came under fire from a squad of Luranni Marines advancing on the Imperial Palace. Faasnu and Kabier took cover and returned fire, making the Luranni marines scatter as they scampered for cover. Faasnu tossed a grenade into their midst and ducked before it detonated, sending dirt and bodies flying every which way. Faasnu and Kabier emerged from cover and opened up on the dazed survivors, cutting them down in a short fusillade of bullets.

Another drop ship flew over, and was about to drop troops off when a pair of rockets lashed up and blew it out of the sky. The ship crashed near the palace, but didn't quite make it to the steps before it stopped. Faasnu and Kabier headed out, shooting any Necromyans lucky enough to survive the crash. They stopped just shy of the Imperial City Market District to reload.

"I wonder why the Necromyans are attacking the Imperial City...?" Kabier mused.

"I don't know, let's go ask them," Faasnu suggested with a hint of humor.

"After you," Kabier said.

Faasnu chuckled, then headed through the door to the market district, where a swarm of Luranni Marines were waiting. Before they could open fire, however, a fireball dropped in from somewhere above and detonated like a grenade, putting down half of the platoon in an instant.

_"__Suleyk wah fal dovah!"_ Paarthurnax shouted as he flew over. Faasnu and Kabier moved in and mopped up the stragglers, then moved on. They moved through the Imperial City, killing as though on autopilot. When the Necromyans took sufficient casualties, they retreated. Faasnu and Kabier returned to the Imperial Palace to discuss their next move with the other present military leaders. Ulfric and Tullius were there, as were General Indari and Emperor Meade. As a surprise bonus, Galmar Stone-Fist and Legate Rikke were also present.

"I trust you left Skyrim in good hands?" Ulfric asked as Faasnu and Kabier entered.

"Skyrim is secure; the last of the Thalmor and Necromyan forces have retreated," Galmar responded.

"We have, however, received word from other provinces; Hammerfell, High Rock and Elsweyr are secure, but we have now-isolated Dominion forces in Black Marsh to deal with and Valenwood is being occupied by the Dominion and their Necromyan allies," Rikke reported.

"So we have a few things to take care of before we march on Summerset Isle," Tullius surmised.

"So, how are we going to go about liberating those provinces occupied and under attack?" Faasnu asked.

"That's why we requested you," Indari said. "You've proven yourself more than capable of dealing with these threats."

"We were thinking of sending you to Black Marsh while we gather resources to liberate Valenwood," Tullius added.

"How are we getting there?" Faasnu queried.

"We have a stealth transport being prepped as we speak," Indari answered. "It leaves at 0300 tomorrow, so get some rest. Your orders are to get to Black Marsh province, make contact with the Argonian Royal Family, and assist them in any way possible in routing out elements of the Dominion forces. Any questions?"

"Does the family know we're coming?" Kabier asked.

"No, they don't," Indari replied. "We chose not to inform them of your impending arrival to minimize the chance of the operation being discovered by the Dominion forces in Black Marsh... as unlikely as that is."

"Once the Dominion is routed from Black Marsh, then what?" Faasnu inquired.

"By then, we _should_ have the resources ready to strike Valenwood," Ulfric responded.

"What about the enemy camp here in Cyrodiil?" Kabier queried.

"That task is being headed up by Lieutenant Mike Harrison," Indari stated. "Once he's done here, I'll see if I can get him to meet you in Black Marsh. When you have Black Marsh secured, contact us, and we'll send a transport to pick you up," Indari said. "Good luck out there, Captain. Dismissed." Faasnu and Kabier saluted and left the palace, headed for a tavern, bought a room, and laid down to rest.

From the impression they got from General Indari, they were gonna need it.

Dominion affairs in Tamriel were already falling apart. Their Necromyan allies were a great help, but truth was, they may have jumped the gun when Faasnu crashed in Skyrim. They landed forces in multiple provinces – Hammerfell, Elsweyr, High Rock – and even set up staging grounds in what's left of Morrowind and in Valenwood, and that caused the said provinces to turn to the Empire for aid. In systematically isolating the provinces, the Necromyan and Dominion forces made the Empire stronger. Such irony. The forces in Elsweyr, Hammerfell and High Rock were all but destroyed or driven out, and the Staging grounds in Morrowind were decimated by dragons and DMC Dragon-shifters.

Now, as Elenwen packed her belongings, it was painfully evident that the Dominion wouldn't win this war, even with the Necromyans' aid. Nearby, a 13-year-old Aldmeri Elven girl stood with her bags packed.

"I don't understand, mom," she protested. "Why are we leaving? Where are we going?"

"Someplace this war can't reach us," Elenwen answered. "I don't want to be here on Summerset Isle when the Empire and their dragon and alien allies marches up it's shores."

"I thought you said-" the girl protested.

"Leigh!" Elenwen cut her daughter off. She paused, then calmly added, "The less you know, the better. I promise, I will explain everything once we get where we're going."

She returned to packing her things, and finished in record time, leaving a note to throw off any Thalmor personnel that may come looking for her. With that done, she and Leigh left their house, boarded a carriage, and left for the city of Dusk. The carriage driver was instructed to ride and ride hard – he understood the severity of what was going on.

Once at Dusk, Elenwen made for the docks and was met by her last friendly colleague in this mess.

"I guess this means goodbye," he told her.

"So it would seem," Elenwen answered as Leigh boarded the boat. "Thank you, Faelian."

"I really wish you'd reconsider this," Faelian said. "Resigning is an understandable move – but we may still turn this war around."

"No," Elenwen disagreed. "I can see now that there is no turning the tables, now; what I do, I do for my daughter. If I die with my loyalty to the Thalmor and the corrupted Dominion, I leave my child with nothing but shame. After her father died, Leigh's upbringing and welfare were the only things I cared about; I joined the Thalmor out of a desire to care for her. Now, the Thalmor and the Dominion are fighting a losing battle against a superior foe – I have to leave before this gets any worse." She paused, then whispered, "And you know what I feel for you, and what my daughter feels for you; I really wish you would come with me."

"What we feel for each other was not lost on me when I handed in my resignation," Faelian whispered back, placing a hand on Elenwen's cheek. "I _am_ going with you."

Elenwen threw her arms around Falian with tears in her eyes, and they both boarded the boat, destination unknown...


	11. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Faasnu and Kabier woke thirty minutes early, dressed, armored up and got their effects in order, and were at the transport bound for Black Marsh by 0250. In the ten minutes before the transport – a helicopter – lifted off, Faasnu and Kabier managed to fall asleep. During the trip, however, things went haywire. Kabier and Faasnu awoke to panicked chatter between the pilots.

_"__Something's not right, I'm telling you,"_ one said.

_"__You always say that, Jack,"_ the other responded. _"__You always say 'I got a bad feeling about this trip.'"_

No sooner did the other pilot respond did the pounding of anti-aircraft guns sound. The transport helicopter lurched, and Jack screamed, _"__Quad 50! We're hit! We're hit!"_

The helicopter spun out of control, and finally crashed in the swamp. Both pilots were killed on impact, but Kabier and Faasnu, secured the whole time, survived. They grabbed their effects and exited the crashed chopper.

"What was _that_ about?" Kabier asked.

"Dominion forces must have anticipated our arrival," Faasnu said. "But what I want to know is where the hell they got their hands on a Quad 50."

"What's a Quad 50?" Kabier inquired.

"It's a towable, four-barreled, .50-Caliber Anti-aircraft gun," Faasnu answered. "Decommissioned years ago."

The helicopter they had been on suddenly exploded, causing Faasnu and Kabier to jump.

"There goes our ride to Helstrom," Kabier said.

"We'll find a new ride," Faasnu assured her. "Come on."

The armored duo moved through the swamps wordlessly, keeping an eye out for any sign of the anti-aircraft gun that shot them down.

"Can I ask you something?" Faasnu asked.

"Sure," Kabier answered.

"It's obvious you're not from these parts; how did you end up here?" Faasnu queried.

"Crashed, same as you," Kabier responded. "I'm just glad it wasn't my father's ship I crashed on."

"So I imagine," Faasnu commented. "Did you get shot down, too?"

"No – my ship was brought down by a combination of a rogue comet and poor maintenance," Kabier answered.

"Damn," Faasnu remarked. "That sucks." They continued through the swamp, and Faasnu added, "Where did you crash?"

"Uh... about two klicks away from Helstrom," Kabier answered. "Why?"

"Because we could-" Faasnu stopped midsentence. Kabier stilled her breathing, and heard it – Thalmor or Dominion forces nearby.

"Where did they crash?" one asked.

"Not far – about half a kilometer that way," another answered.

Faasnu and Kabier activated their PCDs and vanished, and sure enough, Thalmor agents came wandering into the area.

"You think she's here?" a third inquired.

"Maybe, maybe not," the first responded. "She may have gone to Helstrom."

"Why are we looking for her, again?" the second queried.

"We think she may be trying to defect," the first answered.

The Thalmor fire team moved out of earshot, and Faasnu and Kabier rose from cover and continued toward Helstrom.

"You don't think they were referring to Elenwen, do you?" Kabier queried.

"Can't imagine why she'd want to defect," Faasnu answered, "But whoever the defector is, we can reasonably surmise that more may follow."

They continued through the swamp, keeping an eye out for more Thalmor troops, when they came across a road. And on that road was a Thalmor convoy moving a four-barreled anti-aircraft gun.

"Think that's the gun that shot us down?" Kabier whispered.

"Possibly," Faasnu replied. "We need to-"

Faasnu was interrupted when a rocket launcher fired, and a rocket came streaming out of the woodwork, striking the anti-aircraft gun and decimating it. Argonian raiders came flooding in from the surrounding swamp, firing assault weapons at the surprised Dominion troops.

"Show time," growled Faasnu as he and Kabier rose from cover, disengaged their PCDs and engaged the enemy. The whole firefight lasted no more than two minutes, after which, the lead raider approached Kabier and Faasnu.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Captain Faasnu Dovahkiir, Dragon'taan Marauder Corps," Faasnu responded. "This is Kabier. We were headed for Helstrom when out transport was shot down."

"You, too?" the Raider asked. He paused, then said, "I'm Dar-Jee, a member of the Argonian Raiders. Seems everyone's headed for Helstrom."

"How so?" Kabier inquired.

"It's being besieged by Dominion and Necromyan forces," Dar-Jee answered.

Faasnu frowned. "Why are they besieging Helstrom?" he asked. "They're cut off."

"They think a defector is in the city," Dar-Jee replied. "They have orders to terminate the traitor at all costs."

"Does this defector have a name?" Kabier inquired.

"I wouldn't be the one to know," Dar-Jee said. "Only the Royal Family know who the traitor really is."

"How far is Helstrom from here?" Kabier asked.

"About... three kilometers," Dar-Jee replied. "We have a transport that can get you there quickly."

"Good, let's go," Faasnu suggested. "Sooner we get there, the better."

It was then that Paarthurnax came swooping in from somewhere above. Weapons were raised immediately. Faasnu threw his hands up in alarm. "Don't shoot! This one's with me."

"Sorry," Dar-Jee apologized. "We Argonians are still getting used to the idea of Dragons being our allies."

"I came as fast as I could when I heard your transport had been shot down," Paarthurnax said. "Are you hurt?"

"Considering I survived being shot down in a helicopter, I am fine, Uncle Paarthurnax," Faasnu answered. "We were about to head for Helstrom."

"You may want to hurry if you're heading there," Paarthurnax said.

"We know," Faasnu responded, "Helstrom is under siege. Did you see their camp?"

"It's hard to miss," the aging dragon stated. "They have big guns pounding the hell out of Helstrom's shields."

"Then we've no time to lose," Faasnu growled. "Gentlemen, let's move out!"

The drop ship dropped the Argonian forces near the enemy camp with Faasnu and Kabier. Faasnu, not wanting to risk his godfather in this fight, requested Paarthurnax to stay out of the battle.

The situation in and around Helstrom was bordering on grim; the Dominion forces had managed to set up a series of Energy Flak Cannons, and were bombarding Helstrom's shields, provided by the DMC Attack Cruiser _Ardent_. Last communication with the _Ardent_ put their shield strength at fifteen percent. As an added threat, there was a team of Thalmor Infiltrators somewhere on board the _Ardent_ supposedly looking for a way to shut down her shields. Primary objective was to destroy the Dominion's artillery to keep it from wearing down the _Ardent_'s shields. Secondary to that objective was to locate and neutralize the Thalmor team on the _Ardent_ before they could shut down the shields.

Faasnu and Kabier were both armed with the same weapons they had since Whiterun, and freshly-resupplied with ammo and a number of grenades. Faasnu primed one and said, "No need to keep this subtle," before he tossed it toward one of the cannons. The grenade – a Plasma Grenade – landed near an energy capacitor that was to be used with the Cannon; when the grenade detonated, it sent a violent jolt into the cannon, causing it to overload and explode, and decimated any Dominion forces in the immediate area. Kabier threw a grenade herself, and the resulting explosion punched a hole in the enemy's formation. Argonians rose from cover, firing their assault rifles at the Dominion troops.

The enemy, however, had apparently expected an armed response from behind; they dove behind previously-erected improvised bunkers and returned fire. The firefight quickly morphed into a stalemate.

"Faasnu, we gotta take those other cannons out of commission!" Kabier shouted over the gunfire.

"No shit, Sherlock!" Faasnu shouted back. He turned to Dar-Jee. "Sergeant! Keep the enemy's attention on you! Kabier and I will sneak around and sabotage those cannons!"

"You got it, Captain!" Dar-Jee exclaimed. He and his raiders kept firing their weapons at the Dominion troops, keeping them from noticing Faasnu and Kabier engaging their PCDs and vanishing from sight. Faasnu and Kabier moved along the perimeter of the battle, and came at the cannons from another direction. The cannons continued to fire their shells at Helstrom. It was as Faasnu approached one of the guns that he made an interesting observation:

The Cannons themselves were, in fact, walkers – they rode on four legs. Faasnu quickly hijacked one as Kabier demanded, "Faasnu, what the hell are you doing?!"

"I've got an idea!" he responded. He turned the cannon to face the others, and fired. The heavy-energy flak shell blew the cannon it hit apart like a pile of tin cans, and Faasnu was quick to fire again. The second cannon was ignited like gasoline, and blew up.

The Dominion took notice of how the cannon was destroying their other cannons, and fired on the now-rogue cannon. One of the troops was armed with a rocket launcher.

"Faasnu! Get out of there!" Kabier screamed. She took aim with her rifle, but was too late; the rocket launcher discharged.

_"__Wuld... Nah Kest!"_ Faasnu exclaimed. He was instantly catapulted through the air, and landed amid the Dominion's formation, katanas drawn as the cannon behind him was ignited and blew up. In a flash of rage, steel, and blood, Faasnu cut the Dominion troops down one after the other.

After a bloodbath that lasted no more than a minute, Dominion troops threw down their weapons in a sign of surrender.

The day was won. Again. But there was still the _Ardent_ to secure, and Faasnu was only too eager to get it done as he picked his weapon up and headed out to Helstrom with Kabier, the raiders, and their new prisoners...


	12. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

The situation in Helstrom was better than anticipated; thanks to Faasnu and Kabier's timely intervention, the Argonian capitol had been saved from being bombarded to oblivion. However, there was still the problem of the team of Thalmor agents on board the _Ardent_. Faasnu learned that – contrary to what he thought earlier – the enemy believed the defector they were looking for was also somewhere on board the _Ardent_, but the defector's name was not mentioned.

The Defector would not be released until the Thalmor team had been eliminated, which meant that Faasnu would have to hunt them down corridor-to-corridor in an Ares-class Attack Cruiser, a warship 6.5 kilometers in length. The Thalmor could be anywhere in that ship; fortunately, the captain of the _Ardent_ had arranged for a meeting with the defector. Though it was dangerous, Faasnu saw the meeting as an opportunity to draw out the Thalmor agents. As Faasnu and Kabier headed for the gravity lift, Kabier spoke up.

"Think Elenwen could be the defector?" she asked.

"As I said before, I can't imagine why she'd want to defect," Faasnu answered. "She has no reason to, as far as I know."

"Yeah, key phrase being 'as far as you know,'" Kabier joked as they stepped onto the gravity lift. "But seriously – if Elenwen was the defector-"

"Since when did we deal in 'what ifs'?" Faasnu asked. Kabier just laughed. They ascended the lift, and were deposited in the cargo bay of the _Ardent_. They were then met by a pair of dragon-shifter NCOs.

"Captain Faasnu, I presume?" the first asked.

"That's correct_, _sergeant," Faasnu answered.

"We've been ordered to escort you to the captain's ready room," the sergeant said.

"Lead on, then," Faasnu said, shifting his H3M2 around in his arms. The NCOs then led Faasnu and Kabier through the bowels of the ship.

"Very nice," Kabier commented.

"The interior of a Marauder-class Star Dreadnought is far more impressive," Faasnu stated. "... And large."

"So I imagine," Kabier remarked. They continued through the innards of the _Ardent_, until they stepped onto the bridge. From there, they moved along the right perimeter of the room and entered a door, coming into the Captain's cabin, then finally through another door to the captain's ready room. He was standing with an Aldmeri elven woman, conversing with her.

"... Your daughter and fiance will be well-protected here, I assure you," the Captain said.

"I don't doubt your ability to protect my family, Captain Treege," the elven woman said, "I am merely voicing my concerns, nothing more."

"Elenwen?" Faasnu queried incredulously. "_You're_ the defector?"

"Are you surprised?" Elenwen asked.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't," Faasnu replied. "What made you switch sides?"

"It's a long story," Elenwen said. "Suffice it to say, my loyalty to the Dominion and the Thalmor have been shattered in the wake of recent events; I now look after the welfare of my family."

"Told you," Kabier commented.

"I didn't think you _had_ a family," Faasnu stated. "But in my experience, the safety and welfare of one's family can compel them to do things... once unthinkable."

"Indeed," Elenwen agreed. "My daughter and my future husband are the reasons I resigned my post as First Emissary to the Thalmor. Unfortunately for me, however, one of my friends did not see my reasons, and alerted the Thalmor of my... 'desertion,' and they sent an Infiltrator team to assassinate me."

"They want to kill you?" Kabier asked, "Not capture and torture you or something?"

"Not just me," Elenwen corrected her, "My daughter, as well. If they find my fiance, they'll kill him, too."

"Where are they?" Faasnu inquired.

"They're safe, and I've no reason to believe they've been located by the-"

A DMC Lieutenant entered the room and saluted the officers present. "I apologize for the intrusion, sirs, but we have a new problem."

"What's new?" Treege queried.

"The Thalmor team have been sighted headed toward engineering," the Lieutenant answered. "At last report, they were carrying explosives stolen from the armory."

"That's news," Kabier commented.

"I'd advise you take this more seriously, Kabier," Faasnu said. "If they manage to detonate those explosives near or on the main reactor, they could destroy the _Ardent_ and Helstrom with one explosion."

"Well, fuck," Kabier growled. "That's progress."

"Count me in," Elenwen said.

"You got a good weapon?" Faasnu asked. Treege opened a compartment in the wall and tossed a disruptor rifle to Elenwen.

"Does that answer your question, Dovahkiir?" she asked rhetorically. The now-fire team readied weapons and headed for Engineering...

Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen headed through the superstructure of the _Ardent_, headed for Engineering and hoping they weren't too late. With the engineering teams elsewhere in the ship, the Thalmor agents would find it relatively easy to move throughout the engineering compartment.

The doors to engineering parted, and Faasnu, Kabier, and Elenwen stepped into the engine room.

"Wow," Elenwen commented. "Those are big engines."

Kabier spotted someone dressed in an engineer outfit. "Hey, look – that engineer might know where our Thalmor friends are hiding," she said.

"Hold on a sec," Faasnu responded, stopping Kabier, "Captain Treege said that the engineering section was empty – the engineers are elsewhere on the ship or down in Helstrom. No one's supposed to be in here."

"Thalmor in disguise?" Elenwen queried. "I'm not surprised."

The engineer Kabier spotted suddenly whirled around and fired a burst from an automatic weapon. Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen scattered, diving behind cover.

"Dammit..." Faasnu grunted, racking a round into the chamber of his weapon, "... I'm getting tired of being right all the time." He rose from cover, firing on the Thalmor agent, who took a round in the shoulder as he ran for cover. Plasma fire lashed down from somewhere above, forcing Faasnu to duck back down.

"What is this, a tag team?!" Kabier exclaimed. She rose and fired, icing the Thalmor bastard. Her armor took a hit, and she ducked down again. "... Ow."

"You're not bleeding, so I guess that's something," Faasnu commented. Elenwen rose from cover and fired her disruptor. The agent that hit Kabier took a pulse to the face and dropped like a rock. Elenwen returned to cover as another agent somewhere above fired on her with an automatic rifle.

"I've got an idea," Faasnu said, "You two keep their attention; I'll flank around and take them from behind."

"Got it," Kabier responded. She and Elenwen fired on the agent firing on them, while Faasnu vanished in his PCD field and began to make his way to the upper levels. Along the way, he disabled bombs attached to the critical systems. Why they weren't guarded was a mystery to Faasnu; perhaps the agents on the ship were stretched thin as it is? Perhaps. Regardless, he disabled the last of the bombs and arrived on the upper level; the Thalmor agents were keeping Kabier and Elenwen pinned down, and had no idea that Faasnu had crept up on them. Drawing his katanas, Faasnu cut the Thalmor down one after the other until the upper level was clear.

Silence settled over the engine room as Faasnu disengaged his PCD. The Thalmor were defeated, and the _Ardent_ was safe.

"Engineering to the Bridge," Faasnu said over the ship's intercom, "All hostiles have been eliminated."

"Your reputation is well-deserved, Captain Faasnu," Treege answered. "However, we just got word from General Indari – he needs you back in Cyrodiil."

"Affirmative, Captain," Faasnu said. He made his way down to Kabier and Elenwen, and they headed down to the shuttle bay.

Black Marsh was secure, and Faasnu was eager to carry out the next move...


	13. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

The transport helicopter landed in the landing area just outside the Imperial Palace, where Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen got off.

"The Imperial City," Elenwen said, "Never imagined I'd be visiting this place."

"You sound surprised to be here," Kabier commented.

"I am," Elenwen admitted. "I had heard of this place from others, and read about it in books, but I never thought I'd have the chance to see it firsthand."

"Well, unfortunately, we're not here to go sight-seeing," Faasnu said.

"Did General Indari say what he wanted?" Kabier inquired.

"No," Faasnu replied. "I can only assume it's regarding our plans for the liberation of Valenwood."

"Ah, yes, Valenwood," Elenwen sighed. "Been a while since I'd been there."

"I imagine people there don't exactly like you," Kabier remarked.

"Most people in Valenwood barely know my name, let alone my face," Elenwen corrected her. "Their anger is directed at the Dominion and the Thalmor – not directly toward me."

"Touche," Kabier stated.

Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen stepped into the Imperial Palace, and were greeted by Ulfric and Tullius.

"Good to see you're still with us, Faasnu," Ulfric greeted Faasnu as he shook his shoulder. "And I see you found our elusive Thalmor defector."

"Wait – you _knew _about this?" Faasnu asked, taken aback.

"We found out after you left," Tullius explained. "We would have told you, but we couldn't contact you after your transport was shot down."

"Could that be how the Thalmor found out Elenwen was on the _Ardent_?" Kabier queried as they moved into the main chamber.

"If that's the case, then it's likely the Thalmor have a listening post somewhere nearby," Faasnu responded.

"That's what we wanted to discuss with you," General Indari stated. "Have a seat, Captain."

Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen sat down, with Ulfric and Tullius sitting down on either side of Rikke and Galmar. Emperor Meade entered moments later, taking his own seat.

"Your performance thus far is exemplary, Captain Faasnu," he said. "You have done many great services for the Empire and the Dragon'taan Marauder Corps."

"Keep this up, you'll make Colonel in no time," Indari agreed. "But there's more you must do in our fight against the Dominion and their Necromyan allies."

"Have we learned anything new while we were in Black Marsh?" Faasnu asked.

"Through a bit of luck," Rikke reported, "We traced a series of Necromyan signals to the ruins of a Morrowind coastal city, Tear."

"What happened to Tear that made it a ruin?" Kabier inquired.

"Massive tsunami," Elenwen replied. "Drowned half the city, and those that survived abandoned it – headed to Narsis and Mournhold. Rumor has it, the Tsunami was not an accident."

"And now, we believe that the enemy is using the ruined city as a base for a listening post," Indari said. "Unfortunately, we aren't sure – that's why we're sending you in. Your orders are to infiltrate the facility, determine if the enemy – Dominion, Thalmor or Necromyan – is operating there, and if they are, terminate the operation."

"Permission to join Captain Faasnu's team?" Elenwen requested.

"I was going to assign you to his team in the first place, Elenwen," Indari admitted. "You know better than anyone how the Thalmor think and move, and I believe you'd be an invaluable asset to Faasnu and Kabier."

"Get back to us once you have eliminated any enemy presence in Tear, and we should be ready for our assault on Valenwood," Meade commanded. "Dismissed."

As Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen headed out of the Imperial Palace, Faasnu said to Elenwen, "We're gonna need to get you armored up, and get you some better hardware."

"What would you suggest?" Elenwen asked.

"Personally, I'd suggest either an RX Kalashnikov or an RX Hybrid rifle, as far as weapons are concerned," Faasnu responded. "And for armor... I can get you a set of the MASRA SOPIS armor suits Kabier and I wear."

"Thanks," Elenwen said. "Where are we getting this stuff, anyway?"

"I've got it locked up in the armory beneath my home in Whiterun," Faasnu responded.

"Is Balgruuf still the Jarl there?" Elenwen queried.

"Last I heard," Faasnu responded. "Haven't heard from him since Kabier and I left there about a week ago."

"Well, let's go – sooner we get this done, the better," Elenwen sighed. "No telling what trouble awaits us in Morrowind."

The three-person team then boarded a transport to Skyrim, and off they went...

The transport touched down just outside Whiterun, and Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen got off. The sun was just beginning to sink below the horizon, casting the sky in a brilliant pink hue. They walked toward the city as the transport lifted off, and Elenwen asked, "Think the Jarl will be willing to accept me working with you?"

"Beats me," Faasnu admitted with a shrug. "I don't think he's ever met you."

"Oh. Right," Elenwen said. "Forget I asked."

"We're just stopping in to get some supplies," Faasnu stated. "We're not here to chit-chat with the Jarl, as much as I'd like to tell him we're doing well in this war."

"He probably already knows," Kabier commented. "Remember: He's been in touch with DMC officials since we left here. People with access to radios and interstellar comm arrays."

Faasnu just laughed. "Touche," he said.

They stepped through the gates, and stopped just inside, where Faasnu let loose a long sigh. Kabier bumped him and asked, "Hey – you alright?"

"Just enjoying the view of a peaceful Whiterun," Faasnu answered.

Kabier smiled, then suggested, "Why don't we rest up here, tonight, head out in the morning?"

Faasnu smiled and chuckled. "I second that," he said in a soft tone to her.

Elenwen frowned, looking from Kabier to Faasnu and back. Varying from the sly to the snide, a number of comments formed inside her mind. Ultimately, she voiced none of them. "If we're going to rest here, let's head to your house, Faasnu," she managed to say. Faasnu needn't be told twice as he headed down the street. Kabier looped her arm around Faasnu's, and walked at his side as though she were his wife. They wandered down the street until they came upon Breezehome, where Faasnu unlocked the door and ushered Kabier and Elenwen in.

As nighttime crept up on Whiterun, Faasnu and Kabier readied for bed. No one asked where Elenwen would be sleeping – she took Kabier's original bed, seeing that Faasnu and Kabier both now shared Faasnu's bed. Elenwen fell asleep quickly – much to Faasnu and Kabier's relief, she didn't snore. Faasnu and Kabier, however, remained awake, cradled in each other's arms.

"Do you think it's... odd?" Kabier asked.

"Do I think what's odd?" Faasnu asked back.

"Our relationship... you know, a Liiraan Lioness in love with a human," Kabier explained. "... Dragon-shifter," she quickly corrected herself.

"Not at all," Faasnu replied.

"Come on, be honest – something about our relationship has got to seem strange to you," Kabier whispered.

"I'm a dragon-shifter – I don't dwell on such things," Faasnu responded. "We have a lot in common, you and I – we've been through thick and thin together. I know I can trust you." He brought a hand up and stroked Kabier's cheek. "To my eyes, you are a beautiful woman – gentle, kind, and compassionate. You see what few can, and fewer still can comprehend."

"And the fact that I'm a different race than you doesn't bother you?" Kabier queried.

"It never did," Faasnu answered. "Like I said, I don't dwell on what's different. In my opinion, you are a loving and caring young woman with a heart of gold. I couldn't ask for a better partner."

Kabier chuckled softly. "Suck-up," she teased him. She kissed him lightly, then added, "We're an odd couple... but a good one, I say. I'll admit, I never thought I'd ever meet a dragon-shifter, let alone fall in love with one. But I'm glad I did; you are beautiful to my eyes, as well, Faasnu Dovahkiir – and I'll love you 'till I die."

Faasnu chuckled lovingly. "I love you, too, sweetheart... perhaps, after the war, we could settle down, have a-"

Kabier silenced him with a kiss. "Was that a proposal?" she asked him after she broke the kiss.

Faasnu chuckled. "You could call it that," he replied. He and Kabier chuckled softly, and then embraced for a deep, passionate kiss, wrapped in each other's arms for the night...


	14. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Kabier woke earlier than she expected, and couldn't get back to sleep. Instead of persisting, she slowly got out of bed and armored up, after which she checked her weapon. Her AK50M8 was still in pristine condition – surprising, considering how much it had been through. She walked out of the room, intent on heading down to the armory Kyle had installed beneath the house, when she ran promptly into Elenwen. She was fully-dressed in a green-colored suit of MASRA SOPIS armor.

"I see you have your armor figured out," Kabier commented.

"Had one of the troopers show me," Elenwen admitted. "I was about to head down to the armory, grab a weapon."

"Any idea what you're gonna get?" Kabier asked.

"Considering it's just you, Faasnu and I against gods-only-know how many Dominion and Necromyan troops," Elenwen replied, "I feel I'll need something along the lines of what you have – a weapon with... how would Faasnu say it? An integrated Sound Suppressor?"

"Then you'll want to have a look at the RX Kalashnikov or RX Hybrid Rifles – a number of them have integrated suppressors," Kabier suggested. She and Elenwen headed down into the armory, where Elenwen got a good look at the weapons Faasnu stored there. One rifle in particular caught Elenwen's eye; it had a bullpup design, an integrated suppressor, an integrated, independently-firing Kadgeron pulse disruptor, a mounted, toggling laser sight, and a variable-zoom ACOG.

Elenwen picked up the weapon and held it as Kabier said, "Ah – the RX Hybrid H6M2. Good choice. It fires 7.62x45mm Titanium-tungsten AP rounds."

Elenwen picked up a magazine and loaded it in the receiver, cocking the weapon as Faasnu came down into the Armory. He was dressed in full armor and had his H3M2 in his arms.

"Thought I'd find you two down here," he said as he stocked up on ammo. "Figured out how to get the armor on, did you?"

"As I told Kabier," Elenwen answered, "I had one of the troopers show me."

"That's fine," Faasnu said. "It took me a week to figure out how to get my armor on first time I used MASRA SOPIS Mk IX suits."

"It has an energy shield that protects me from damage, yes?" Elenwen asked.

"Among a number of other features," Faasnu affirmed.

Kabier stocked up on ammo herself, and said, "We're burning daylight, here – we have to get to Morrowind soon, before the Dominion learn we know of their listening post there and decide to move it."

"She's right," Elenwen admitted. "Where's the transport?"

"Waiting for us on the pad, so let's get going," Faasnu replied. The armored trio made for the landing pad outside the city, boarded the transport, and were off to Morrowind...

It was well into the afternoon when the drop ship touched down on Morrowind soil. Faasnu, Elenwen and Kabier got off as the pilot said, "Sorry we can't get you any closer – we wouldn't want to risk the enemy knowing you're coming, would we?"

"We'll contact you once we have the enemy listening post neutralized," Faasnu responded.

"Affirmative," the pilot stated, and the drop ship lifted off, vanishing into the sky.

"Well... we're on our own, now," Kabier said.

"We'll be fine," Faasnu assured her. "Now come on; we've got to get to Tear."

"Don't you think we should wait until nightfall before we assault Tear?" Elenwen inquired.

"If my time is right, we should hit Tear right at nightfall," Faasnu responded. "We'll activate PCDs and slip inside the perimeter, take out whatever guards stand in our way, sabotage the listening post, and high-tail it out of here."

"Then let's not waste time chit-chatting here," Kabier suggested.

The team moved through the grasslands of strange plant life and stranger animals. Surprisingly, none of them made a move against Faasnu, Kabier or Elenwen.

"Tell me something, Faasnu," Elenwen requested, "What's the dragon-shifter home world like?"

"It's a beautiful place," Faasnu answered. "Not at all unlike this world – the only real city on Dragon'taan is Draco City. There are other small towns, all of which have a certain purpose as to why they were set up where they were. I, myself was born in one of those towns – a quiet little suburb called-"

"Quiet," Kabier whispered. Faasnu looked and saw it – a fire team of Luranni Marines. Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen quickly activated their PCDs, vanishing from sight. To further conceal their presence, they took cover near some bushes. The three marines chattered in their native tongue, complaining about the day and the hot Morrowind weather, wishing for some action until they passed out of earshot.

"That was close," Kabier whispered.

"The enemy presence in Morrowind must be more extensive than we thought," Faasnu said. "We must be careful not to attract attention."

"I thought that the enemy presence in Morrowind had been destroyed," Elenwen commented.

"Apparently not," Kabier said.

Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen resumed course for Tear, keeping their PCDs active and avoiding patrols as they went along...

It was well into nighttime when Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen reached Tear. As expected, Necromyan and Dominion forces were crawling all over the abandoned city.

"Holy shit," Kabier commented. "That's a pretty heavy defense force for a listening post."

"Yeah," Faasnu agreed. "Makes me wonder what they're up to down there."

"You think they know we're here?" Elenwen asked.

"If they did, I think we'd be hearing about it by now," Faasnu replied. "Still – we need to get down there, sabotage the listening post."

"How are we to sabotage the post with so many troops down there?" Elenwen queried.

"We'll have to thin their numbers somehow without-" Faasnu began. He was interrupted midsentence when an explosion came somewhere to the northwest, and the base alarm went off. The reason was plain to see.

An attack force of Dunmer elves were assaulting the Dominion and Necromyan positions, and as they did, troops drew away from their posts in the listening post to fight their adversaries. The listening post was, more or less, undefended.

"That was convenient," Kabier commented.

"The Dunmer down there are buying us an opportunity we can't afford to waste," Faasnu said. "Let's move – PCDs on."

Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen vanished in their PCD cloaking fields, and headed down into the listening post. They began to set high-grade explosives on important structures – armories, supply points, communication equipment, everything. It was as they were making their way into the listening post in the base that Kabier noticed something.

"Faasnu – see the wires?" she asked.

"Yeah," Faasnu answered. "They run throughout the entire base."

"They've got the entire place rigged to blow," Elenwen surmised, "We don't have much time."

Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen entered the listening post building, and immediately after they entered, the doors shut and locked.

"Shit!" Kabier cursed. "A trap!"

"Traps work both ways, babe," Faasnu said. "Watch this." Faasnu gathered his breath, and shouted, _"__Fus... RO DAH!"_

The windows all shattered simultaneously, allowing Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen a portal of escape. Before they did, however, they shot out every console in the room. An alarm blared afterward, and a new line of information appeared on Faasnu's HUD.

"Dammit!" he exclaimed. "They've armed the explosives throughout the base! We have three minutes to get the hell out of here!"

The team leapt out one of the shattered windows, and immediately came under fire from Luranni marines. Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen immediately took cover and returned fire.

"This isn't good," Kabier commented, "They've got us pinned down."

"Faasnu," Elenwen yelled over the gunfire, pausing to shoot a Dominion soldier that wandered too close, "Any bright ideas?"

Faasnu didn't answer directly, instead shouting into the sky, _"__Od-ah-viing!"_ Almost immediately afterward, the crimson-scaled Odahviing came roaring in, seemingly from nowhere. He breathed a breath of fire on the enemy troops. The Necromyan and Dominion troops scattered like rats.

"You called?" Odahviing asked with a smile only a dragon was capable of.

"No time for jokes, old friend!" Faasnu said as he, Kabier and Elenwen jumped onto Odahviing's back, "This place is about to blow!"

"Can you get us out of here in thirty seconds?" Kabier asked.

"Try and stop me!" Odahviing answered as he took to the sky. He roared, and vanished into the nighttime sky, and no one looked back when the explosives in the listening post, both set by Faasnu and his team and set by the enemy, detonated and buried the entire base in a pile of rubble...


	15. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Dominion and Necromyan forces were on the run. Skyrim was secure. Hammerfell had pushed the Necromyans out, the listening post in Morrowind was destroyed, Imperial forces in Black Marsh and High Rock had crushed the last of the enemy forces in those provinces, and Stormcloak Special Forces dropped into the province of Elsweyr in the dead of night had liberated the Khajiit homeland in a day. The remaining Dominion and Necromyan forces outside of Summerset Isle drew back to Valenwood, the enemy's last bastion of defense before the Aldmeri homeland.

While the Empire and Stormcloak forces gathered their strength for the assault on Valenwood, Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen were given two weeks of shore leave, which they happily took. With no enemy presence in the secured provinces, Elenwen brought her family to Whiterun, where they bought a house adjacent to Faasnu and Kabier's home. Afterward, Elenwen and her lover, Faelian, married.

Faasnu and Kabier's relationship continued to grow. Kabier even had a chance to see Faasnu's dragon form, one night while they were stargazing. Even though they came from two different races, they felt they were a perfect match.

One night, a night before the march to Valenwood, Faasnu popped the question. He and Kabier lay in bed, cradled in each other's arms, when he asked,

"Sweetheart... do you have plans for when this war ends?"

"I'm not leaving your side, that's for sure," she answered. "Why?"

"I was just thinking, earlier this week... we've been together for some time, now," Faasnu explained. "We've fought through hell, and I was wondering..." He reached into his nightstand, retrieving a small ring, and continued, "... If you'd marry me when this war ended." His faced flushed red and his hands shook. Kabier just chuckled and kissed him.

"Baby... of course I'd marry you. You said it yourself – we've fought through hell together. Were it not for you, I'd still be a Thalmor prisoner... or worse. I love you with all my heart, and I would gladly marry you when this war ends. We deserve this much."

"Do we?" Faasnu asked. "I confess, I feel like... I'm rushing this. Marriage is big, right?"

"Of course it is," Kabier whispered. "But there's no one I'd rather marry than you... hell, we've only been together a matter of weeks or months, and already, I find myself willing to bear your children."

Faasnu chortled. "Ho-ho," he told her, "Now you're getting ahead of yourself."

"Shut up, so are you," Kabier chuckled with a smile.

When she finished her last statement, she embraced Faasnu for a deep, passionate kiss...

The morning came faster than Faasnu and Kabier thought it would. Still, they rose from bed, dressed, armored up, and armed themselves with new weapons – an MP340A3 for Faasnu, and an AK50M7 for Kabier. Elenwen, too, nabbed a different weapon – an RX Hybrid H6M1. Armored head to toe and armed to the teeth, Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen boarded a transport, and headed to the Imperial city in Cyrodiil to meet with the heads of the allied forces.

The trip took no more than two hours. Paarthurnax and Odahviing flew escort, armored in powered dragon battle-armor. The transport touched down in the Imperial City Palace district, and Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen got off to head into the Palace.

"Think the Thalmor are in for a surprise?" Kabier asked.

"Considering what's happened in recent months, I think they're in for a very_big_ surprise," Elenwen admitted.

"No arguments here," Faasnu agreed. They stepped into the palace, and were immediately greeted by Tullius and Ulfric.

"Good, you're here – now we can get this meeting underway," Tullius said.

"The meeting hasn't started?" Faasnu asked.

"No – we've been waiting on you," Tullius said.

"From his tone, I suspect General Indari has a special task for you," Ulfric added. "Let's not keep him waiting."

Ulfric, Tullius, Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen entered the main chamber, where Emperor Meade and General Indari were already present.

"Captain Faasnu," Indari greeted, "You make good time. I trust you've had a good rest?"

"Yes, sir," Faasnu answered.

"Well, good," Indari said. "Let's get to the business at hand, shall we?"

"You did remarkably well in taking out that listening post in Morrowind," Meade said. "Now, our plans for the invasion of Valenwood are in no danger of being discovered."

"I imagine Valenwood already knows we're coming," Rikke commented.

"That they do," Indari said, "But they know neither when nor how. Thus, we have the initial advantage." Indari hit a button, and a recently-installed holographic projection unit projected a holographic map of Valenwood over the massive circular table where everyone sat. "Alright," Indari continued, "According to reports from resistance spies in Valenwood, the enemy has an airstrip set up near the city of Arenthia; moreover, Arenthia is a major trading port and it sits near the Valenwood-Cyrodiil border. Therefore, it will be our first target. The Dominion and the Necromyans know this – spies reported a major shift in troops toward Arenthia."

"Where do my team and I come in?" Faasnu asked.

"You and your team will be working with the Stormcloak Special Forces," Indari answered. "You'll be dropped behind enemy lines to sabotage anything of strategic importance in preparation for the Imperial Army's strike. DMC troops will also accompany the strike. You and your team, specifically, will be dropped near that airstrip; your orders are to sabotage any and all aircraft at that strip, destroy the fuel dump, and make your way to the city to sabotage the armory, ammo caches, and lines of communication. Is that understood, Captain?"

"Yes, sir," Faasnu answered.

"Good. The next objective, obviously, will be to liberate Arenthia; we need to push the Dominion and Necromyan forces out of the city. Once that is done, it will be our staging grounds for the liberation of Valenwood," Indari continued. "From there, you will aid the Imperial and Stormcloak forces in taking Silvenar and then the capital of Valenwood, Falinesti."

"What about the other cities in Valenwood?" Kabier asked.

"The DMC will be hitting those cities," Indari responded. "Once we have Valenwood secure, I imagine we'll have to dig in to defend against a counterattack."

"And if the Thalmor and their Necromyan allies are in no condition to launch such a counterattack?" Ulfric tactfully queried.

"Then our job taking Summerset Isle is that much easier," Meade answered. "One way or the other, we will exact justice for the atrocities committed by the Thalmor during the last war."

"I'll need all of you on the front lines when we assault Summerset Isle," Indari added. "So rest up. Once Valenwood is secured, you'll _all_ be heading for the front lines."

"As you command, General Indari," Rikke droned.

Indari looked to Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen. "Your task will not be an easy one," he told them. "Infiltrate enemy lines, sabotage their air power, disrupt their defensive capability, and do anything and everything you can to aid in the capture of Arenthia, Silvenar and Falinesti. I suspect Falinesti will be the most difficult nut to crack, so you'll be getting a field resupply and DMC assistance once you take Silvenar. Any questions?"

Faasnu looked to Kabier and Elenwen, both of whom nodded to him. They were ready. "No questions, sir," Faasnu said.

"Very well," Indari stated. "Your transport leaves at 0230 hours tomorrow. Good luck out there, Captain. I hope to see you in Valenwood soon. Dismissed."

Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen simultaneously rose from their seats, saluted General Indari, and left. Once they were clear of the Imperial Palace, Faasnu spoke up.

"I'd advise we hit a supply cache to get ammunition and other supplies; we may not get a chance to once we're in Valenwood," he said.

"I concur," Elenwen agreed. "We'll be in Valenwood for some time."

"So let's hit a cache and get rested up," Kabier chimed. "We're gonna have an _early_ morning."

With that said, the team headed to a supply station, got a full combat load of supplies, and checked into a tavern for the night. Like Kabier said – it was going to be an _early _morning.


	16. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

The transport bucked slightly in the wind. Shadow-class stealth transports weren't meant to fly in high winds, but the pilots did an admirable job keeping the craft steady. Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen all sat silently. This was it. The liberation of Valenwood. The first true offensive of the war. Faasnu looked out a window and whispered to Kabier and Elenwen,

"Say hello to Valenwood, comrades."

"Might as well get used to the way things look here," Elenwen suggested. "We're gonna be here for a while."

"So where are we landing?" Kabier asked. Faasnu turned to her with a grin.

"Who said anything about landing?" he responded.

"You mean we're going to _jump_ out of this aircraft to the airstrip?" Elenwen queried in shock.

"What's the matter?" Kabier chuckled. "Never gone skydiving?"

"I've never jumped out of anything from this height before," Elenwen admitted. "And regardless; that's a long way down! We wouldn't survive the impact!"

"That's why we have parachutes," Faasnu told Elenwen. "You didn't think I'd make us jump without them, did you? Just do what I do, and you'll make it to the ground alive."

"How comforting," Elenwen growled. She grabbed a parachute with Faasnu and Kabier, and waited with them. Faasnu stared intently at the now-lit red light, waiting for it to go green. When it finally did, Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen jumped from the transport, beginning their plummet to the ground far below.

"These parachutes aren't slowing our descent!" Elenwen yelled over the rushing wind.

"That's because we haven't deployed them yet!" Faasnu responded. "Just do what I do!" When the team reached a certain altitude, Faasnu jerked a cord, and the parachute deployed. Kabier and Elenwen did the same, and they began to glide down to the ground.

"This is fun," Elenwen sarcastically commented.

"Could be worse," Kabier told her. "Your chute could've malfunctioned and not deployed – then you'd be in _real_ trouble."

"Quiet," Faasnu said. "We're approaching the ground. Be ready."

Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen hit the ground at a run, and therefore avoided falling over. They quickly shed their parachutes and readied their rifles.

"Do they know we're here?" Elenwen asked.

"I imagine that if they did, we'd be hearing about it by now," Faasnu replied. "Let's get to that airfield. PCDs on."

Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen vanished in their PCD cloaking fields, and made for the airstrip. It wasn't hard to spot; the air control tower with the searchlights gave it away. It was when they infiltrated the airstrip's perimeter that a problem arose; the area was crawling with Luranni marines and Fasheen officers.

"Boy, this brings back memories," Faasnu whispered.

"You've done something like this before?" Elenwen queried.

"Did something exactly like this before," Faasnu replied. "Sabotaged a Necromyan airstrip on New Manchester during the Marauder War. The airstrip there was no different than this one."

"So what's the plan?" Kabier asked.

"Kabier, you and Elenwen put detpacks on the fuel dump; I'll sabotage the aircraft. Avoid enemy contact at all times. Radio in once you have the explosives in place – I should have the aircraft sabotaged by then. We'll rendezvous on the outskirts of Arenthia once the strip is out of commission," Faasnu explained. "Got it?"

"Got it," Kabier responded. She and Elenwen peeled off to head for the fuel dump, while Faasnu snuck about the airstrip, sabotaging every aircraft he came across. It was fairly easy going; enemy personnel was minimal, most of them being asleep or in the city. Only a few were on night patrol. Faasnu rigged some aircraft to explode when started, and sabotaged the engines of the others so that they wouldn't start at all. A select number, however, were sabotaged in a way that they'd be able to start, but not take off. It was as he finished rigging the last aircraft that he got a radio signal from the other two.

"Kilo to Foxtrot," Kabier said, "Come in. Over."

_What the hell...?_ Faasnu thought. Deciding to play along, he responded, "Foxtrot here, go ahead Kilo, over."

"The fuel dump is rigged – we're headed to the rendezvous point," Kabier stated. "Over."

"All aircraft have been sabotaged on my end," Faasnu told her. "I'm headed that direction, too – meet you there. Over and out." He clicked off the radio and headed for the rendezvous point, where Kabier and Elenwen were already present.

"We ready to hit the city?" Elenwen asked.

"What's the first target?" Kabier added.

"Armory," Faasnu replied. "It's closest. Elenwen, are you monitoring the enemy's comm chatter?"

"No," Elenwen admitted with a shake of her head. "They have frequency scramblers on their comm lines. I can't listen in without the scramble codes."

"That should complicate things to some degree," Faasnu commented. "Come on – the Stormcloaks should already be on their way. PCDs on."

Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen then made their way toward Arenthia. There was still a mission to complete...

Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen made it inside Arenthia just before dawn. Everything was still dark. And in the dark, dragon-shifters like Faasnu flourished. They made their way to the armory, taking care not to alert the Dominion or Necromyan troops to their presence. So far, the enemy gave no indication that they were aware they'd been infiltrated.

The team stopped just shy of the armory, and Faasnu checked the time. "0430 hours," he said to his comrades. "The Stormcloaks should be pulling out by now – once we radio them, they'll detonate the explosives, and start the task of pushing the Dominion and Necromyan forces out of here."

"Let's not waste any time chatting, then," Kabier suggested. Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen entered the armory and set explosives on the weapon racks but kept them hidden from sight. Once that was done, they crept out of the building, and headed toward the Ammo Dump. For an enemy-controlled city, the patrols were seemingly light. Either that, or the enemy was content to let Faasnu and his team bomb their strategic targets while they tended to something else – in which case, Faasnu couldn't imagine what that something else could be. As with the armory, they set explosives everywhere, then vanished.

Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen then made for the communications hub – not far from the ammo dump. They quickly entered and silenced what few guards were present, then sabotaged the radio equipment. That done, they moved outside, to a nearby...

No sooner than when Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen were nearly to cover did the bombs planted by Faasnu and his team and by the Stormcloaks detonate near-simultaneously. Explosions ripped through Arenthia. At the airstrip, the fuel dump was blown to bits, and the scramble alarm was sounded; several aircraft refused to start, and several more exploded when they started. It was absolute pandemonium in the enemy lines. Gunfire started to echo in the city, and Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen were quick to recover. Necromyan and Dominion troops appeared to investigate the nature of the disturbance, and spotted Faasnu and his team.

"Weapons free! Weapons free!" Faasnu shouted. He drew down and fired at the Luranni NCO closest to him, drilling the bastard before he could react. Kabier and Elenwen fired as well, running with Faasnu to cover. Two Luranni marines and a Dominion soldier dropped dead. Before reaching cover, Faasnu primed and threw a frag grenade, firing a short burst at the enemy to keep their attention on him. The ruse worked; the enemy troops were focused on Faasnu and didn't notice the grenade sailing through the air. It bounced once, then twice, and detonated, sending half of the mob flying in six different directions. Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen rose from cover to engaged the dazed remains of the enemy troops that attacked them; half-dazed and milling around like retards, they were cut down one after the other.

An explosion marked the entrance of the Imperial Army's arrival with the DMC. Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen made for allied lines, moving through now-brightly-lit streets and engaging whatever enemy troops were in their path. They came across an intersection where Imperial troops were trying to advance on a deeply-entrenched Dominion/Necromyan command post. As it happened, Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen were on the rear flank of the enemy.

"Grenades," Faasnu told his comrades. They all pulled out, primed, and threw a grenade, and took cover as they detonated. Half of the enemy combatants were put out of the fight, and Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen rose to mop up the stragglers with the Imperials. With one CP secured, Faasnu and his team moved through the Arenthia streets. They fought and killed as though on autopilot, helping the Imperials and the DMC take one CP after the other. Eventually, they pushed the Dominion and Necromyan forces into full retreat.

The day had been won... again. They had pushed the enemy out of Arenthia and were hailed by the Bosmer elves there as heroes. But there was still Silvenar... and finally, Falinesti, before the assault on Summerset Isle. Just a little but further...


	17. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Contrary to Arenthia, Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen were working with the Imperial Army to attack Silvenar. An intercepted supply convoy was their ticket in, this time – Silvenar had anti-aircraft defenses running, and command didn't want to risk any aircraft in an air-drop. An Imperial armored assault group wasn't far behind the convoy – a group of APCs protected by Battle Tanks. A plan B, in case the supply convoy didn't make it past the checkpoint.

But Faasnu hoped it would; the Dominion didn't know this convoy had been intercepted. As far as they knew, the convoy made a pit-stop to fix a flat tire – which would explain the delay... to them, at least. Instead of supplies, however, the trucks were loaded with two platoons of Imperial soldiers. Their goal was to overwhelm the guards at the gate, then lock the gate open for the rest of the assault force. After that, it would fall on Faasnu to lead the assault force to the enemy's Command and Control Center in Silvenar; likely a bunker in the center of the city.

Bright searchlights passed over the transport – it was time. Faasnu shushed the troops in his transport, then put out the light. Surely enough, a Luranni Marine passed by to confront the driver, requesting identification papers in his native tongue. Behind the truck Faasnu and his platoon were in, a Fasheen officer approached and asked the same thing. The driver passed him his papers, and the officer just stared at it, confused.

"He's not taking them, Captain," a soldier whispered to Faasnu.

"He's buying it, hold on," Faasnu assured the trooper. The officer demanded something in his native tongue, and – unexpectedly – the passenger pulled a pistol and shot the officer in the head. "GO!" Faasnu shouted, "They're onto us! Get moving, go, go!" Faasnu, his team, and the platoon in the truck flooded out, overwhelming the guards at the gate. The platoon in the second truck moved out, but half of them were still in the truck when a Dominion soldier with a rocket launcher fired, blowing the truck to smithereens.

It was as Faasnu and his men made their way to the gate controls when another snag developed; the instant the gate was locked open, a city-wide shield went up.

"Damn!" Kabier cursed. "We've gotta take down that shield!"

"No shit," Faasnu growled, "Elenwen, is it possible that the generator generating the shield is in that central bunker?"

"More than likely," Elenwen answered, "It'd be easier to take out it's power source; it's closer."

"Alright, platoon – let's move out!" Faasnu shouted. Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen moved at the head of the platoon-and-a-half of Imperial troops, headed into the city of Silvenar. They'd not gone more then thirty paces into the city when one of the troopers shouted,

"Enemy armor, moving in!"

"Who's got the rockets?" Faasnu asked.

"The rockets we had were on the other half of that platoon that got blown up with the one truck!" the trooper answered.

"We need to improvise – fast!" Kabier exclaimed. "We're sitting ducks against enemy armor!"

"Right," Faasnu said, "Platoon, take cover and hold position! Kabier, Elenwen – let's go!"

Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen moved through the back-alleys and streets, going around the tank. All three of them kept an eye out for explosives of any sort. It wasn't until they came across a secondary armory under guard that they found some; they quickly neutralized the guards and took a number of anti-armor grenades. They then doubled back, but took a different route to get near the tank without it seeing them. Kabier opened the hatch, while Elenwen fired her weapon at the crew inside, and Faasnu primed a grenade. Elenwen moved, and Faasnu threw the primed grenade inside, and all three of them leapt off the tank and took cover with the platoon. The resulting explosion torched the tank, and the platoon cheered.

"Platoon, move out!" Faasnu shouted. Before the platoon could carry out the order, they came under fire from Dominion forces that had apparently responded to a radio transmission of the "interlopers". The Imperial troops scattered and took cover. One of them was caught in the open, and hosed with plasma fire.

"Shit," Faasnu cursed. "Just when we were about to head out! Kabier, how long before the assault force gets here?"

"Not a clue," Kabier answered. "More than likely, they're waiting for us to drop the shields."

"I'd recommend ordering the platoon to hold position here," Elenwen suggested, "While we find the power source for the shield and take it down; that should also cut their anti-aircraft defenses out of the picture."

"We're thinking the same thought," Faasnu responded. He turned to the Imperial NCO and told him, "Sergeant, hold positions here! Keep the enemy busy while my team and I take down the power source!"

"Yes, sir!" the NCO shouted. While the NCO began passing on orders, Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen headed deeper into the city. They twisted and turned their way through the streets, finally coming across the power generator.

"Any ideas how to take it down?" Elenwen asked.

"Cut off the coolant, and the reactor will overheat, either causing it to shut itself off, or causing the whole thing to blow," Faasnu explained. "Come on."

Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen moved inside the building controlling the generator, silencing the guards before they could react. Faasnu then tapped into the computer systems and shut off the reactor coolant, then disabled the system, ensuring the enemy couldn't re-engage the coolant when they left. Consistent with Faasnu's prediction, as he and his team headed back to the Imperial soldiers' position, the reactor overheated and shut itself down. The shield surrounding the city of Silvenar dissipated, leaving the Imperial Army free to land more troops inside, and the Anti-Aircraft guns ceased to operate.

When Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen reached the Imperials' position, there were a half dozen casualties on the Imperial side, with twice that number in enemy casualties across the way. Faasnu approached the NCO he'd spoken to before he left. "Sit-rep, sergeant!" he demanded.

"The Dominion have been trying to advance on our position, but we've kept them pinned down," the sergeant reported. "But we're starting to run low on ammo!"

"Well, the shield is down," Kabier shouted over the gunfire, "The rest of the assault force should be here soon."

Faasnu then had an idea. "Command, this is Captain Faasnu – I need an immediate ammunition re-supply and air support on my location! Track this transmission and launch when ready!"

"Affirmative, Captain, supplies are on the way – sit tight," responded one of the officers.

"Okay, boys – ammo and air support on the way!" Faasnu shouted to his troops. "Take cover, conserve your-"

A plasma bolt whizzed past his faceplate, and Faasnu brought his gun to bear on a Fasheen officer. He immediately opened fire, drilling the officer before he could fire again. The Imperial troops fired at what Dominion troops they could, killing a few as they tried to advance. No more than a minute later, a transport drop ship appeared and dropped supplies, while a pair of gunships fired on the Dominion and Necromyan positions. The enemy troops scattered and fell back, allowing Faasnu and his troops to get re-supplied. Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen stocked up on ammo with the troops, and headed out.

The Imperial Army fought the Dominion and Necromyan forces in the streets, damn near door-to-door. The civilians were secured shortly before the assault on the Dominion Command Bunker. While the DMC aircraft kept the enemy pinned down, the Imperial Army advanced on them, bit by bit, until the Dominion and Necromyan forces fell back to the command bunker itself. From there, the Imperial Army swarmed the bunker and decimated the enemy's defense, and what was left of the Dominion presence in Silvenar surrendered. Victory once more.


	18. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Having been re-supplied at Silvenar, Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen and the forces under their command massed for the attack on Falinesti. Every other city in Valenwood had been taken by DMC, Imperial or Stormcloak forces. All that remained was the Bosmer capital. The Dominion and their Necromyan allies knew that Falinesti was the final bastion of Thalmor influence before the Aldmeri homeland. They would fight savagely.

Because Faasnu had taken the allied forces so far, and had won them several great victories, General Indari and Emperor Meade decided to promote Faasnu to a full Colonel. Faasnu wore the rank proudly. But his task was not over. He had to take Falinesti from the enemy, then hold Valenwood from whatever counterattack came. It would not be an easy task, but Faasnu was confident he would prevail.

The assault on Falinesti was simple, but different than the attack on Silvenar: The DMC and Imperial forces mounted a frontal assault on Dominion and Necromyan lines, while Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen, working with the Stormcloak Special Forces, dropped behind enemy lines to gather any kind of intel whatsoever. Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen, specifically, were being dropped near an enemy command and control center. Their task was to find any information on enemy troop strengths in Summerset Isle, if any. The drop ship pilot flew the transport through a shitstorm of anti-aircraft fire while Faasnu, Kabier and two other Stormcloak soldiers geared up in the back. Elenwen was on another transport.

"Alert," the pilot announced, "Enemy Command and Control Center in sight... you are jumping into some _deep_ shit, Colonel."

"We're here to gather any intel on the enemy troop strength in Summerset Isle," Faasnu explained. "My guess would be that any such intel would be in a safe room with one of the officers in charge of the enemy defense; once we have the intel, we proceed directly to the enemy command center, take out the head honcho."

"Let's do it!" Kabier whooped excitedly.

"Colonel Faasnu and team, hook up," The pilot said. Faasnu, Kabier and the Stormcloak soldiers hooked a line onto one of the rings in the cabin of the transport, then began to slide down on the ropes attached. As Faasnu rode down, he looked for a fraction of a second at the sky, blood-red and mired by smoke from numerous fires all around Falinesti. Down below, numerous anti-aircraft gun emplacements fired on the dragons and aircraft that swarmed around the Bosmer capital. One of those guns shifted their fire and scored a direct hit on the transport carrying Faasnu and his team on ropes.

_"__Quad 50! We're hit! We're hit! Mayday!"_ The pilot shouted over the radio. The transport spun out of control, and took Faasnu and his team with it. Faasnu and Kabier were lucky enough to burst through a pair of windows on the uppermost level of the enemy CAC center; the two Stormcloaks that had been with them smacked into a wall and shattered their bones – they were dead before they hit the ground with the transport.

_"__Hotel Six, this is Command, come back, over,"_ One of the aircraft commanders requested. _"__Hotel Six, do you roger? Over."_

_"__Command, Hotel Six is gone, over,"_ One of the other transport pilots reported. _"__Colonel Faasnu, report, over."_

Faasnu growled and grabbed his radio. "We're fine, thanks," he reported with a hint of sarcasm.

"That was fun," Kabier chuckled. She racked a round into the chamber of her rifle, and Faasnu did the same. They both readied their rifles just in time – a pair of Luranni marines came into the room to see what was the nature of the disturbance caused by the shattering windows. Needless to say, both of them were drilled before they could react. Faasnu and Kabier headed out of the room, where they came under fire from a three-man team of Fasheen Marauders. Faasnu and Kabier took cover and returned fire, icing one of them as he hit a wall running for cover. Faasnu rolled a grenade down the hall, and it detonated, riddling the other two with shrapnel. Faasnu and Kabier rose from cover, and continued down the hall.

_"__Command,"_ Elenwen said over the radio, _"__I have eyes on Colonel Faasnu; he's got Dominion troops all over the north wing!"_

_"__Roger,"_ Command responded. _"__Your call, Colonel."_

"Light 'em up!" Faasnu commanded.

_"__Roger that,"_ Elenwen said. _"__Keep your heads down!"_

Faasnu and Kabier ducked behind a wall just shy of another room, where a large congregation of Dominion soldiers stood. One of them spotted an attack transport, and shouted an alarm just a second before dual rotary plasma autocannons began to shred them. In less than ten seconds, the room was clear.

_"__You're clear, Colonel,"_ Elenwen reported.

Faasnu and Kabier rose from cover and moved through the mass of corpses, ignoring the smell of melted flesh. They went through one doorway, and came upon another pair of Dominion troops. Unfortunately for them, they had their backs turned and were moving away from the grisly massacre that had occurred only seconds ago. Faasnu and Kabier simultaneously raised their weapons and fired, killing both of them before they knew what happened. They moved past the bodies, and toward another room when Elenwen radioed again.

_"__Colonel Faasnu, Kabier, be advised – we're breaching the roof."_

"Copy," Faasnu responded. Seconds later, just as Elenwen had said, the roof exploded, and Elenwen came riding down on a rope, firing on the already-present Luranni marines. Three more Stormcloak soldiers rode down with her, and the Luranni retreated.

"Good to see you're okay, Faasnu," Elenwen said.

"You'll find it's hard to kill a dragon-shifter," Faasnu chuckled. "Let's get going."

The team moved through the superstructure of the CAC center, keeping an eye out for enemy troops. It wasn't until they came upon the safe room that they ran into significant opposition: a mixed squad of Dominion and Luranni troops, scattered about both levels of the room. One of them in a window lit something on fire, and Faasnu spotted it and shouted, "COVER!" The enemy soldier tossed his lit item to the ground floor, and it exploded in a shower of flames, lighting the surrounding area ablaze.

"Since when did the Dominion use Molotov Cocktails?!" Kabier shouted.

"_What_ Cocktails?" Elenwen asked.

"Never mind that!" Faasnu exclaimed. "Return fire!" He rose from cover and shot the Dominion who'd thrown the Molotov, and as he dropped, the grenade that was in his hand detonated, blasting a hole in the floor of his post. Faasnu and his team moved downstairs, shooting the enemies that didn't retreat. Beyond the blazed room was a safe room. Tapping into his dragon-shifter power, he kicked the door with such brute strength and force, it took part of the wall with it. The team drilled those inside, but none were the officer they were looking for.

"Officer's not here," Kabier observed. "He may have fallen back to the command room."

"Command," Faasnu demanded, "Status on the assault?"

_"__Colonel Faasnu, be advised – Dominion forces have fallen back to the main command center; DMC and Imperial forces currently engaged in heavy fighting south of the CAC center,"_ Command answered. _"__Necromyan forces retreating in your direction; you better get your asses in gear if you don't want to get swarmed."_

"Shit," Faasnu cursed. "Enemy forces headed this way. Let's get that intel and high-tail it out. Let's go, on me!"

Before the team could move out, the door opposite to the one Faasnu had kicked down exploded; the team barely had time to avoid the flying metal door. The Luranni marines that came through the new aperture stood and looked around, trying to ascertain...

They didn't have to look long; Kabier tossed a primed grenade into their midst. What they _didn't_ know was that Kabier had waited a couple of seconds before tossing the device; it exploded almost as soon as it hit the ground at an NCO's feet. The NCO was blown in six different directions, and his comrades were riddled with shrapnel. The two survivors were dazed, and then cut down as Faasnu and his team rose and shot them dead. They headed through the blown door, and emerged at yet another congregation of Necromyan soldiers inside a war room: This mass was a mixed bag of Luranni marines, Squarr soldiers, Fasheen officers and Zurrak combat cyborgs. The team engaged immediately, catching the mass by surprise. Kabier and Elenwen both tossed plasma grenades to the bunch below; one of them fused to a Luranni's face and vaporized him when it detonated; the other landed between a Fasheen and a pair of Squarr soldiers. The explosion slaughtered them, and set off the Fasheen officer's grenades, which decimated those below. Faasnu and his team mopped up what was left up on the upper level, and descended into the war room.

_"__Colonel Faasnu, be advised,"_ Command said, _"__Allied forces engaged in heavy fighting with Necromyan troops at your location, you are cut off."_

"Acknowledged," Faasnu stated. He kicked a door down and was presented with a hall with three doors. He pointed to two of the Stormcloak soldiers, then the leftmost door. Then, he pointed to Elenwen and the third Stormcloak soldier, then the rightmost door. He looked to Kabier, and motioned her to follow him. While the others searched the other two rooms, Faasnu and Kabier headed for the door at the far end of the hallway. Faasnu kicked the door in, and as he stepped inside, he was immediately ambushed by a Fasheen officer bearing the insignia of a Major. The Fasheen didn't seem to notice Kabier as he tackled Faasnu to the ground, trying to plunge his knife into Faasnu's chest. The first hint he had that he'd overlooked her was when a blade burst through his chest. Shortly thereafter, the blade retracted from his chest, and his head was sliced clean off. Kabier stood with a katana in her hands, putting it back in its sheath.

"And I thought dragon-shifters couldn't _get_ surprised," Kabier said with a big grin on her face. She helped Faasnu up as he said,

"Thanks – I owe you one."

Kabier just chuckled, whispering in his ear, "Hardly, baby."

Faasnu smiled, kissed Kabier briefly, and whispered to her, "Oh, the things you do to get me alone."

The moment of battlefield romance gone, Faasnu and Kabier searched for and found a folder of documents detailing what they were looking for. As they took the folder, Elenwen came in with the other three Stormcloak soldiers.

"Did you find what we came here for?" Elenwen asked.

"We did," Kabier affirmed.

"Command, this is Colonel Faasnu – enemy intel secured," Faasnu said into his radio.

_"__Affirmative, Colonel,"_ Command responded, _"__Be advised, General Indari has arrived and is pushing the Necromyans back."_

It was as command told Faasnu that General Indari had arrived that two newcomers entered the room – Rikke and Galmar.

"Got here as fast as we could, Colonel," Rikke reported. "Looks like you've been busy."

"Busy would be an understatement," Faasnu commented. He reloaded his rifle and motioned the others to follow him. "Where does the assault stand?" he asked as they exited the CAC center.

"After Indari arrived, the Necromyans began a full retreat; they're headed for the docks," Galmar explained. "The Dominion forces are still resisting our forces, gradually falling back to the docks."

"I think it's safe to say the enemy's on the run," Kabier remarked.

"Let's _keep_ them on the run," Faasnu growled. "On me." Kabier, Elenwen, Rikke and Galmar formed up behind Faasnu and they continued through the streets. What few enemy soldiers that stood their ground were quickly overwhelmed by Faasnu and his team or the combined DMC/Imperial/Stormcloak forces. Faasnu, Kabier, Elenwen, Rikke and Galmar found the enemy command center, already being besieged by allied forces.

"Looks like the Dominion aren't giving the allies an easy time getting into the command center," Rikke commented.

"Let's give the allies a hand," Galmar suggested.

"My sentiments exactly," Faasnu growled. "Grenades; let's blow these bastards to kingdom come." Everyone pulled out a grenade as they approached the enemy fortifications. Faasnu silently counted down from three, and they all primed and threw their grenades, then ducked back down behind cover. The grenades detonated moments later, and sent Dominion troops flying every which way. Faasnu and the team rose from cover, killing off what few stragglers had survived the blasts. As the allied forces moved into the command center, killing all within who resisted, Faasnu and his team moved to the commandant's office. Faasnu kicked the door in, and the Commandant nearly jumped out of his skin. He went for a rifle, and Faasnu didn't even blink as he fired a burst into the commandant's chest. Faasnu walked over, and then put a single round into his head, execution-style.

"Command," he said into the radio, "Enemy Commandant is dead."

"Good work, Colonel Faasnu," came General Indari's voice. "The enemy is retreating by boat to Summerset Isle. Report back to our HQ so we can go over what Intel you've got." Faasnu let loose a long sigh as he headed toward the exit.

"This war is almost over, Colonel," Rikke assured him.

"I know," Faasnu said. "I look forward to the end."

"Don't we all," Kabier chuckled. She looped her arm around his, and they walked onto the transport, headed for the allied HQ...


	19. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Weeks passed without incident. No Dominion or Necromyan forces made any sort of counterattack. Not even minor skirmishes. However, while there had been a complete lack of activity regarding the enemy's counterattack, their comm channels were very active; if the analysts were to be believed, the Necromyan and Dominion forces were calling for off-world assistance. But how would they get such assistance past the orbiting DMC fleet? Indari and Faasnu both surmised that the enemy had a way around that particular detail – otherwise, they wouldn't be calling for help. They'd be preparing their defenses for their final stand. No, the enemy had a way to get help and bypass the orbiting DMC fleet.

But one question stood out in Faasnu and Indari's minds; who were they calling for help? Indari reasoned that it was some faction they hadn't encountered before; The Necromyans had no other allies after the Marauder War, and, while it had occurred to Indari that the Draconian Combine may have gotten involved, he discounted that theory in light of the fact that the Draconian Combine had a standing cease-fire treaty with the DMC and their allies; neither side had any motive to violate the treaty. Faasnu suspected that the enemy may be hiring mercenaries, but almost immediately discarded that idea; recent defeats on the enemy's part had put their economy in utter turmoil, and as a result, they would lack the resources to pay any such mercenaries. Even if they did, there were very few mercenary factions willing to oppose the DMC and their allies, and fewer still had the capability to inflict any sort of serious damage on the DMC. Even the intelligence documents that Faasnu and his team recovered made no mention of who the enemy was contacting.

So, with nothing to do but wait, the allied forces dug in and waited for what was sure would be a massive counterattack. The allied troops were both antsy and excited; the end of the war was in their gun sights. Everyone could see it. Faasnu could feel it. It was close. While things were quiet in Valenwood, Faasnu refused to return to his home in Skyrim; he intended to see this war finished – to hold off the enemy counterattack, to invade the Aldmeri homeland, and end this conflict once and for all.

So, it was a complete surprise that, on the eve of what allied leadership had expected to be the counterattack, a Mirdakian sea ship was spotted sailing into the docks. Faasnu was just armoring up when he noticed this, and immediately readied his weapon. Kabier and Elenwen were already present when the ship stopped, both frowning in confusion.

"What ship is that?" Elenwen asked.

"It... looks like a Mirdakian vessel, but I don't recognize the emblem," Kabier responded.

"Who are the Mirdakians?" Elenwen queried.

"An elven race allied with the Dragonarian Empire and the DMC," Faasnu answered.

"I didn't know they were involved with our war effort," Elenwen commented.

"They weren't," Faasnu corrected her. "This is someone else."

"Are they hostile?" Kabier asked.

As if to answer Kabier's question, several spheres were shot from the upper deck of the vessel, which landed in the midst of the allied troops that had come to investigate, and exploded seconds later. This force was hostile. Doors opened on the Mirdakian vessel, and armored elves began pouring out like angry wasps. The enemy's counterattack had begun. Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen took cover with the rest of the troops, and returned fire on the enemy.

"Since when did the Mirdakians switch sides?!" Kabier exclaimed over the gunfire.

"They're not the Mirdakians we know!" Faasnu answered. "They must be from another 'verse!"

"That's comforting," Kabier growled, rising momentarily to fire on an elf that strayed too close.

_"__All allied forces, alert – we have inbound enemy drop ships! Repeat, inbound enemy drop ships! Repel all attackers!"_ the radio squawked. Faasnu looked up and saw them; four Mirdakian drop ships headed right for the city.

"Shit," Faasnu cursed, "This isn't good!"

"How'd they get drop ships past the orbital fleet?" Kabier asked, pausing momentarily to shoot another elf dead.

"They didn't," Elenwen said. "They have a portal."

"And you didn't bring this up earlier _why?!_" Faasnu demanded.

"Because it wasn't finished when I defected!" Elenwen responded. "I didn't think they'd finish it before we got to Summerset Isle!"

"That's helpful," Faasnu growled. Rockets lashed up and blew two drop ships out of the sky; the other three landed almost in the same area.

_"__Alert!" _Someone exclaimed over the radio, _"__Enemy drop ships are dropping troops at the command center!"_

"If they take the command center," Kabier said, "They'll have us hemmed in!"

"Your call, Colonel," one of the troops stated. "Stay at the docks, or head to the command center?"

Faasnu thought for a moment, then issued his command. "All nearby forces, fall back to the command center! It must not fall into the hands of the enemy!"

Faasnu, Kabier, Elenwen, and all nearby forces high-tailed it to the command center. Just in time, it seemed – General Indari, General Tullius, Ulfric and what looked to be a platoon of allied soldiers stood amongst numerous corpses – allied and enemy soldiers alike. The first hint that the enemy troops got that indicated Faasnu and his men were behind them was when a barrage of grenades was thrown into their midst. The resulting explosions decimated most of them; the allied troops moved in and killed whoever was lucky enough to survive. Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen approached General Indari and his party.

"Need a hand, General?" Faasnu asked.

"Even though I didn't ask for one, Colonel," Indari admitted, "These bastards are vicious; I don't know how much longer we would have held out before I shifted to dragon form."

Faasnu frowned. "The dragons!" he murmured. He yelled into his radio, "All dragon forces, this is Colonel Faasnu – we are under attack! Launch counter-aircraft and anti-personnel assaults immediately!"

"About time!" Paarthurnax exclaimed over the radio. "We've been sitting here watching the fireworks!"

In the distance, numerous dragon roars could be heard. Faasnu turned to his troops and commanded, "Okay, comrades – let's push the enemy out of here!" The troops cheered, and took up positions to counter the enemies headed their way. Mirdakian elves clad in dark armor made their way to the command center, but the allied troops were ready; on top of that, by the time the enemy soldiers had reached the allied lines, the dragons, led by Paarthurnax, arrived on the scene, and began torching the enemy troops. The Mirdakians, apparently not prepared to fight dragons, scattered. Some of them took potshots at the dragons, but few of them actually managed to land a hit. Even then, their shots glanced off the energy shields of the dragons' armor.

"We have them on the run!" Someone shouted. "Let's-"

"They are not retreating!" Faasnu shouted, "They are regrouping!"

Just as Faasnu had predicted, the enemy came at them again, this time by throwing grenades to cover their advance. Faasnu, Indari, and a number of other dragon-shifters tapped into their powers and halted the grenades mid-trajectory, then hurled them back at those who'd thrown them. The enemy soldiers screamed with surprise as they were suddenly bombarded and blown to hell by their own grenades. Then they began truly retreating.

"_Now_ we have them on the run!" Faasnu yelled, "Let's take it to them! All positions, advance!" Moving across what cover was left, the allied troops advanced on the enemy positions. With dragons covering from the air, they mopped up those that didn't fall back; the enemy continued to put up considerable resistance. When the allied forces clashed with the enemy in the market adjacent to the docks, they came upon an impasse; the market provided both sides with ample cover, and command wanted as little damage to the market itself as possible, making the task of driving the enemy out of the market that much harder. Still, Faasnu had a plan: While allied forces kept the enemy's attention in the market fixed on them, Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen would take command of a platoon of allied soldiers elsewhere and move around the market, linking up with other troops elsewhere and taking the docks, cutting off the enemy's only line of retreat back to Summerset Isle. Once that was done, Faasnu and his men would close in on the enemy in the market and force a surrender if they could; if not, he'd slaughter every last one that put up a fight.

As Faasnu came into contact with his platoon, the head NCO of that platoon saluted him. Faasnu returned the salute and requested, "Platoon status, Sergeant Major?"

"We're green and go, Colonel," the NCO responded.

"Good, let's get going," Faasnu suggested. "We need to take back the docks. Platoon, let's move out!"

Faasnu, Kabier, Elenwen and the platoon of allied troops – a mixed bag of Stormcloak, Imperial, and DMC personnel – headed out. They came upon numerous firefights along the way, blasting the enemy personnel and linking up with the allied troops, until they finally hit the docks.

"What's the plan, chief?" Kabier asked with a hint of malicious humor.

"We bury these fuckers," Faasnu growled. "Grenades at the ready!" He pulled out and primed a plasma grenade, and when he gave the order, everyone threw a grenade. The varied devices rained down on the enemy positions, and blew half of them in multiple directions. The allied troops advanced from cover, icing the dazed enemy troops had survived the blasts. The firefight lasted no more than two minutes; the enemy presence in the docks was surprisingly light. Faasnu surmised that the other troops were either dead or deeper in the city. This was confirmed when Faasnu got a radio transmission.

_"__Colonel Faasnu," _Indari said over the radio, _"__Change in plans – enemy forces from the market and all other districts of Falinesti are headed your direction. Hold the docks. We have dragon air support on station, and infantry reinforcements are en route... good luck, Colonel."_

"We got company coming, troops!" Faasnu told his men. "Defensive positions!" Faasnu's troops took up defensive positions all over, ready to take on the enemy as they headed for the docks; it was a complete surprise, then, when allied troops arrived first. Faasnu frowned, confused at this; he was expecting the Mirdakian troops to arrive first. So why, then, did allied troops arrive first?

As though to answer the question, one of the Imperials in the group now arriving shouted, "They're right behind us!" The allied troops now arriving took cover where they could, and, just as they said, Mirdakian troops began pouring out of the woodwork. The allies lit into them with assault rifles, shotguns, disruptors and grenades. Hell, even a group of snipers that were roof-jumping earlier joined in the action, firing on the enemy troops from afar. The enemy soldiers from the market appeared afterward, all of whom went down riddled with bullets, shotgun pellets and disruptor pulses. The final wave came when the remaining troops came out of the city depths, tossing grenades and explosive devices. As they had at the command center, Faasnu and the other dragon-shifters used their powers to halt the devices mid-trajectory, but rather than immediately hurl them back at the enemy, they kept them stationary for a second or two – cooked them, before throwing them back. Some exploded in midair, others exploded as the Mirdakians picked them back up to throw them away from them. Needless to say, the enemy was decimated again by their own explosions, and the allied forces mopped up the stragglers.

After the final wave, no more came. Silence settled over Falinesti. "Command," Faasnu requested, "Status on the assault?"

_"__Enemy ships are turning back to Summerset Isle,"_ Indari's voice answered. _"__Well done, Colonel. You and your team need to report to the war room in the command center; we will discuss our next move there."_

"Affirmative, General Indari," Faasnu said. The radio cut out afterward, and Faasnu gathered Kabier and Elenwen, then made for the command center. En route, Faasnu posed a question: "Elenwen – anything else you can tell me of that portal?"

"Nothing concrete," Elenwen answered. "It emits a unique energy signature, and requires massive power to operate. How the Thalmor were able to get it working before we got here is something of a mystery to me."

"Any idea who else they might contact?" Kabier asked.

"Not a clue – we'll only know for sure once we arrive on Summerset Isle," Elenwen admitted. Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen entered the command center, headed down to the war room, and saluted General Indari together.

"At ease, you three," Indari said as he returned the salute. Ulfric and Tullius arrived afterward, and Indari stated, "Now, to the business at hand – do any of you have any idea who the hell we just faced today?"

There was a long pause before Faasnu answered, "I believe I do, sir."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Indari sighed.

"I believe we faced Mirdakian elves from a 'verse... unfamiliar to us," Faasnu explained. "I recognized the ships and the elves – but not the emblem, which is what led me to my conclusion."

"Do you have any clue how they got past our orbital defenses?" Indari queried.

"I do, sir," Elenwen said. "The Thalmor have a portal – one that links this world with another. I believe that the Thalmor had the Mirdakians in league with them, as a contingency in the event that they began to lose the war."

"And it's a fair bet that the Mirdakians will be helping the Dominion and Necromyan forces fortify Summerset Isle," Kabier added.

"Gods only know what kinds of other reinforcements they've called in," Indari murmured. "I'll wager they'll have a few more surprises in store for us."

"But we're still going to Summerset Isle?" Ulfric asked. "Taking it is the only way to end this war, end the Thalmor, the Dominion, and their Necromyan and Mirdakian allies."

"We could, but they could escape through the portal," Indari said, "Come back to fight us another day with gods-only-know what kinds of allies."

"Then I'll find the portal... and take it out," Faasnu said.

"That portal's going to be heavily-guarded," Indari told Faasnu. "You'd be an idiot to go alone."

"He won't be going alone, sir," Kabier said. "I vowed to stay with him to the war's end and beyond, and I'm not backing down now."

"Faasnu saved my family and I from Thalmor retaliation," Elenwen added. "I will go with him."

Indari looked over Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen. "Faasnu," he sighed, "Your... companions... could get killed in such a mission. And don't think I don't know of your plans to marry Kabier at the war's end. Kabier and Elenwen... are all you have. Do you trust your skills that much?"

Faasnu didn't hesitate for even a second. "Sir, yes, sir."

Indari again sighed. "Well, this is either the best decision you've ever made or the worst... hell, if it is, Colonel... I doubt I'll be here long enough to find out which." He paused, then continued, "You go into enemy territory... take out their portal. We'll handle taking Summerset Isle. But before you go..." He tossed Faasnu a small box. Inside, Faasnu found, were the stars of a Lieutenant General. "Let no one say I didn't acknowledge your accomplishments in the face of impossible odds. Whatever happens to you out there... good luck. Your father would be proud."

Faasnu, Kabier, and Elenwen all simultaneously saluted General Indari, who promptly returned the salute. For better or worse, this was the beginning of the end...


	20. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Stealth recon planes, flown over Summerset Isle just hours after the enemy counterattack on allied lines in Falinesti, revealed a small hole in the enemy defenses, in the vicinity of the coastal city of Dusk; too small for a major assault force, but large enough to allow a small team to infiltrate the enemy lines. Faasnu decided this would be his insertion point for his assault on the portal. Going in during the day would be too risky, so he opted for a night op. However, instead of dropping in by air, he decided to go in by _sea_. Conscious of the fact that any ship approaching Summerset Isle would be blown apart by their coastal batteries, Faasnu took Kabier and Elenwen, equipped with incredibly-long-lasting breathing apparatuses, on his back in his dragon form. Using his wings and powerful arms, not to mention his dragon form's ability to hold his breath for incredibly long periods, Faasnu swam all the way to the shores of the Aldmeri homeland – and into the hole in their defenses.

Once out of the water, Kabier and Elenwen got off Faasnu's back, and shed their water gear as Faasnu shifted back to his normal form. They then materialized their armor, and readied their weapons.

"Let's go – PCDs on," Faasnu whispered. "Elenwen, where is the portal?"

"Not a clue – we'll have to find something pinpointing its location in Dusk," Elenwen answered.

"Any idea where to start looking?" Kabier asked.

"I'd guess somewhere in either the Dusk Commandant's office or in a Thalmor facility," Elenwen responded.

"Let's get going, then," Faasnu suggested. "Once we have the portal's location, we'll signal the allied fleet by lighting the lighthouse."

"Let's just hope we can get out of dodge before the allied forces get here," Elenwen said.

"We will," Faasnu assured his comrades. Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen headed off the beach, taking care to stick to the hole in the enemy's coastal defenses. Once clear, they turned and headed for Dusk. Getting past the enemy sentries wasn't easy; Mirdakian elves were everywhere. Sneaking about the city wasn't easy, either, as Luranni Marines, Squarr troops, Fasheen and Zurrak officers, and Thalmor and Dominion soldiers were all over.

"Seems the enemy is waiting for us to invade their shores," Kabier commented.

"Wait or don't wait, it matters little," Faasnu said. "We will take the Aldmeri homeland, and end this war once and for all."

Along the way, Kabier noticed something. "Faasnu – see the wires?"

"I see 'em," Faasnu answered. "Electronic cables – these ones in particular are common with electronic surveillance systems."

"Could the systems be online already?" Kabier asked.

"I imagine if they were," Elenwen said, "We'd be hearing about it by now."

"Let's not take chances," Faasnu suggested. "Key 1-3-6 on your gauntlets' keypad."

Everyone complied, and Elenwen queried, "And what was that supposed to do?"

"It's an electronic countermeasure system in our armor that hides us from electronic surveillance systems," Faasnu explained. "Distorts our visual image in a way that makes it seem like we're not here."

"Nifty," Kabier commented. Faasnu spotted a Thalmor-manned facility up ahead, and motioned for the others to follow him in. The door guard's radio squawked, and he left, leaving Faasnu and his team free to enter. They quietly opened the door, stepped inside, and closed it.

Contrary to Faasnu's op in the Thalmor Embassy in Skyrim, this outpost was not empty. The denizens of the outpost took notice of the door opening and closing without anyone entering.

"... the hell was that?" one NCO asked.

"Come on, private – you've got the big gauge," another said.

The private looked to the one who'd just spoken. "I'd rather piss glass," he growled. "Why don't _you_ go check?"

Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen moved away from the door slowly so as not to attract attention. The sergeant of the group moved to the door where they had been, opened it, looked around outside, and closed it. "Must've been the wind," he said.

"The wind opened a door and closed it?" the private asked.

"Wouldn't be the first time," the sergeant responded. While the Thalmor soldiers went on speculating, Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen moved to the upper level of the outpost. They moved from one room to the next, silently taking out whoever happened to be in said rooms, until they came to what appeared to be an executive office. The office was empty, so Faasnu and his team began rummaging through the papers, finding all manner of personnel lists, officer manifests, and...

"I've got it!" Kabier whispered. "According to this, the portal is in the capital of Alinor."

"Should've known," Elenwen commented.

"Anything else?" Faasnu asked, "Traps, defenses? Anything that might hinder our assault?"

"Nothing that I can spot presently," Kabier responded. "But we can review the documents in detail later."

Faasnu paused, starting at Kabier with a smile on his face. She was becoming just like him. "Very well," he finally said, "Let's get to the lighthouse and light it. By the time the Thalmor-"

It was then that the owner of the office came wandering in, and seeing the barely-visible distortions that were Faasnu and his team, was about to shout an alarm. Faasnu leapt and tackled the Thalmor agent as he went for his radio, and slammed his head against the floor with a loud _thud!_ With any luck, he'd finished the agent off quietly enough. This, however, was not the case; the Thalmor troops below heard the ruckus, and were coming up to investigate. Kabier quickly took a drink that had been on the desk and splashed it on the floor, below the Thalmor agent's feet, then stored the documents. The three then fled before the troops below got to the agent.

"That was close," Elenwen whispered.

"Indeed," Faasnu agreed with a smile. "That was quick thinking, Kabier."

Kabier chuckled. "I have my moments," she told Faasnu. They quickly snuck back downstairs while the Thalmor troops were upstairs trying to figure out why the agent had fallen. They were out the door before anyone even knew they were there. The team moved with impunity through the Aldmeri city. The Thalmor remained unaware of Faasnu's presence. They continued to move through enemy lines, heading for the lighthouse. When they arrived, they entered through the structure at the base.

It was not, however, empty. At least half a dozen Luranni marines were waiting inside, all of whom had seen the door open and three barely-visible distorted figures looking like ghosts enter. Faasnu was quick to drop his rifle and unsheathe his blades, cutting them down one after the other before anyone had a chance to scream or call for help.

While none of the Luranni got out a call for help or an intruder alert, the killing of the marines stationed inside the lighthouse did not go unnoticed; a security camera caught the whole scene, and the Dominion soldier watching the carnage slammed his hand on the alarm button.

When the alarm began to blare, Faasnu looked to his team. "Come on; we don't have much time," he said. Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen dashed up the stairs, and when they reached the top, saw that the only way to light the lighthouse was to light the wood within. Unfortunately, none of them brought anything to do so with.

"We need to improvise – fast!" Kabier exclaimed.

Faasnu simply gathered his breath, and shouted, _"__YOL!"_ his voice carried a breath of fire, and lit the wood ablaze. "How's that for improvising?" he asked Kabier.

"Smart-ass," Kabier remarked as they dashed down the stairs.

"How do we plan on getting out of Dusk?" Elenwen asked.

"We're going to find some local transportation to Alinor," Faasnu answered. "Once we're in Alinor, we're going to locate that portal and neutralize it."

"I imagine the Thalmor leadership won't be willing to allow us to sabotage that portal," Elenwen said. "We'll need to neutralize them, too."

"Of course," Faasnu agreed. "Neutralizing the enemy leadership will also throw the enemy command hierarchy into turmoil – and that may be enough to force a surrender."

"Assuming all goes as you suggest," Kabier asked, "What will we do once our objective is done?"

"We'll find transport out of Alinor... and we'll all go home," Faasnu responded. Kabier and Elenwen could detect the subtle nuances of a longing hope – Faasnu was eager to end the war. So were they.

They exited the lighthouse, the city alarm blaring in the distance, and headed deeper in to the city. It was as they were arriving at a personal aircraft hangar that the distant sounds of combat could be heard.

"The allies have made landfall," Kabier noted. "We should hurry."

Inside the personal hangar was a small drop ship, meant for a team of four people. Just what they needed. Faasnu quickly climbed inside and powered the ship up, while Kabier and Elenwen settled into separate seats. Faasnu guided the craft out of the hangar, then into the sky. As they vanished into the night, nothing stopped them. The Dominion, Necromyan and Mirdakian forces were so preoccupied with the invading DMC, Imperial and Stormcloak forces, they had no time to stop the theft of a small ship...


	21. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

While en route to Alinor, Faasnu listened in on the allied radio networks, being careful to maintain radio silence. From them, he, Kabier and Elenwen gleaned that the DMC had taken the small towns of Firsthold and Skywatch, and the assault on Dusk was proceeding quickly, while the combined Imperial and Stormcloak forces had taken Shimmerene and Cloudrest, and were now converging on Lillandril. The bulk of the enemy forces had fallen back to the last cities controlled by the Dominion in preparation for their final stand.

Dawn was approaching when Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen flew their stolen drop ship to the outskirts of Alinor, where they ditched it and headed under cloak into the Altmer capital. They quietly silenced the perimeter guard, then slipped into the city proper. There was no civilian presence in the streets – Faasnu reasoned they'd been moved underground or otherwise to some safe place in preparation for the enemy's final stand. Even on the faces of the troops present, Faasnu could see their fear. The last stand of the Aldmeri Dominion – Faasnu would ensure that is what the coming battle would be called when history wrote of this war.

Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen headed through the city, looking for the portal when something unexpected happened. _"__This is the Aldmeri Resistance Force to the Dragon'taan Marauder Corps personnel in Alinor, if you can hear me on this channel, acknowledge this transmission."_

_What the hell...?_ Faasnu thought. He motioned the others to take cover with him in a vacant alley, then answered, "This is Lieutenant General Faasnu Dovahkiir to Aldmeri Resistance Force, I read you. Go ahead."

_"__We have you on our scopes,"_ The resistance radioman said. _"__We have information on where the Dominion's Portal is, but we wish to meet with you in person to give you its location."_

"Why in person?" Faasnu asked.

_"__Too much to explain over this channel – head to the abandoned warehouse, western edge of Alinor. Hurry!" _The radioman said, before cutting the channel.

"Could be a trap," Kabier suggested.

"Perhaps," Faasnu admitted, "But traps work both ways."

"Then again," Elenwen said, "It may be our chance to glean more intel; before I defected, I had received a number of reports concerning this Aldmeri Resistance Force – formed just after the end of the Skyrim Civil War. This could be the break we need to figure out a way to completely destroy the portal."

"Then let's not keep them waiting," Faasnu commanded. "Move out." He, Kabier and Elenwen headed to the aforementioned warehouse, with Elenwen guiding them through the city and Faasnu and Kabier providing support. They reached it at midday, and stopped just shy of the entrance. Faasnu took point again, and crept into the warehouse, pointing his weapon this-way-and-that as he searched for a threat. When he saw there was none, he motioned the others inside. Kabier and Elenwen entered, and as they did, a soft clatter sounded and cause weapons to go up.

"Hold your fire!" an Altmer said as he emerged from the shadows. "Come on, before the Dominion forces see you here!" Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen followed the elven youngster to a secret door, where they descended a ladder and came upon an underground base. The secret door closed behind them, and Faasnu decided it safe to disengage his PCD. He, Kabier and Elenwen seemingly appeared out of thin air, and followed the Altmer to a meeting room, where several other elves were waiting around a holographic representation of the city.

"So you're the interlopers?" one of them queried. "We've been monitoring the Dominion's radio channels – you've got them scared shitless."

"I don't doubt it," Faasnu commented. "Can you tell me anything else they're talking about?"

"We've intercepted numerous communiques from the Dominion," another elf spoke up. "They know you're after the Portal. They've hired a special... what did they call it?"

"A Bounty Hunter," a third said. She looked to Faasnu. "They've hired a special Bounty Hunter to take you out."

"Just him?" Kabier asked.

"That's all we know about this hunter – aside from his name, T'Bai," the third elf told her.

"What of the portal?" Faasnu asked, "Can you tell us anything useful about the portal?"

"The portal is a tangible thing, and can be destroyed," said a voice from the shadows. Faasnu looked to his left and saw an older Altmer, dressed in expensive red garments.

"Lieutenant General Faasnu, meet former-Aldmeri King Janus," one of the elven leaders said.

"I thought you were dead," Faasnu commented.

"I came close to death, yes – closer than I'd like," Janus stated.

"You've seen the Portal?" Faasnu asked.

"I have seen it – or rather, the device that creates the Portal," Janus affirmed. "I know it took years to build – or would have, had the Necromyans not stepped in to help."

"Where is it?" Faasnu queried.

"It is in the center of the city, protected by a network of anti-aircraft batteries," Janus answered.

"Is there any way to destroy it?" Kabier asked before Faasnu could.

"We were hoping you had a way to destroy it," one of the Altmer commanders said. "We ourselves lack the means to – otherwise, we would have done it by now." Faasnu thought for a moment, then asked,

"You said it was protected by anti-aircraft defenses, yes?"

"Yes, I did," Janus said. "Why?"

"If you can pinpoint the exact location of that machine that creates the portal," Faasnu explained, "And where all their AA guns are, I can punch a hole in their anti-aircraft defenses large enough for the DMC to initiate a low-level airstrike."

"It would take a lot of firepower to destroy that thing," Janus warned Faasnu. "Can your DMC handle it?"

"Kadgeron Mass Drivers, Antimatter Missiles, Cluster Torpedoes, Disruptors, Plasma Siege Cannons," Faasnu said, "The DMC has enough firepower to level Alinor – taking out a Portal-creating machine is a simple task."

"Well, the Portal Machine is in the very center of Alinor, here," an Altmer commander said, indicating a massive structure in the center of the city, "In what remains of the Aldmeri Arena. Anti-aircraft defenses are scattered all around it. If you think you can take them out, we'll send our best troops to assist you."

"Do it," Faasnu commanded. "It's time to end this war."

"We gonna call in the cavalry?" Kabier asked.

"Damn right, we are," Faasnu growled.

"What of the Bounty Hunter, T'Bai?" Janus queried.

"I'll deal with him myself," Faasnu stated. He marked the coordinates of the Portal Machine in his armor, then opened a radio channel.

"This is Lieutenant General Faasnu to General Indari – I have located the Portal," he announced.

_"__Music to my ears, General Dovahkiir,"_ Indari responded. _"__What's the plan?"_

"I'll be coordinating with local resistance forces on-site to take down enemy AA batteries – once they're down, the DMC fleet can swoop in for a low-level airstrike. Bring the rain, and bring it hard."

"What of Aldmeri leadership?" Indari queried.

"I'll take care of them while the fleet's busy blasting the machine apart," Faasnu assured his CO. "One way or the other, we'll finish this war... sir."

"I'll organize a strike fleet – and keep an eye on the enemy defenses. Once you punch a hole I think is big enough, I'll send the fleet in," Indari proclaimed. "I don't know whether or not they know it, but the Dominion is about to get kicked right off their throne. We will destroy the portal, defeat the Dominion and their allies, and finish the fight they started!"

"We haven't a moment to lose," Faasnu said. He, Kabier and Elenwen left, gathering their team of Resistance soldiers, and headed back into the city.

The Battle of Alinor was about to begin...


	22. Battleground Tamriel - Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen, along with their squad of Resistance troops, fought their way through the streets of Alinor, headed for their first target. The resistance infiltration was more extensive than even Faasnu anticipated; when the Resistance commanders gave the order, a massive uprising began. Resistance members all over Alinor, working in tandem with sympathizers and now-arriving Stormcloak Special Forces, rose up to fight the Dominion and their allies in the streets.

"Contact!" One of the resistance fighters proclaimed. "Enemy forces, three o'clock!"

Faasnu looked and saw them; a contingent of Mirdakian and Necromyan troops were advancing on their position. "Take cover and engage!" Faasnu commanded. Everyone scattered, taking cover where they could, and fired on the advancing enemy. Three of them went down in the first few seconds; the others scattered. Faasnu moved along the perimeter of the gunfight, came up on the rear flank of the enemy soldiers, and unsheathed his blades. Without any sort of sound to announce his presence, he dispatched the soldiers one by one. By the time they realized they'd been flanked, it was too late. Faasnu sheathed his bloodied blades, unlimbered his rifle, and motioned his troops to follow him.

They headed into an intersection, where the first target was. The AA gun sat on three legs, making it two stories high, with its large gun barrels pointing into the sky.

"Any idea how we're going to destroy that thing?" Kabier asked Faasnu.

"Cover me," Faasnu ordered. He then leapt onto the three-legged gun, then crawled into the machinery. He placed a small charge, then crawled out, hopped down, and detonated it. The charge was apparently placed near something combustible, because it caused an explosion that blew the gun off its legs. "Come on, comrades!" Faasnu shouted, "The enemy's AA defenses aren't going to destroy themselves!"

"You do know these resistance fighters were armed with High-Explosives, right?" Elenwen asked Faasnu as they headed out.

"Actually, no, I didn't," Faasnu admitted. Kabier just chuckled as they made their way through the Alinor streets, headed for another of the anti-aircraft defenses. They came upon the market, where a deeply-entrenched contingent of Mirdakians were holding off a slowly-advancing squad of Stormcloak troops. Faasnu and Kabier looked to each other, their wicked smiles hidden beneath their helmets.

"Shall we?" he asked her.

"After you," She answered. Faasnu gave a series of hand signals, and the Resistance soldiers fanned out, creeping up behind the Mirdakian troops. When everyone was in position, Faasnu gave the signal, and everyone opened fire, hosing the Mirdakians with Automatic and Plasma fire. The Mirdakians never knew what hit them; most went down before they could turn around, while what few survivors there had been were iced by the advancing Stormcloaks. When Faasnu turned to see what had been _behind_ the Mirdakians, he saw another Anti-aircraft gun.

"There, comrades!" he shouted. "Another AA gun! Whoever has the high-explosives, plant a charge and blast that thing sky-high!"

A three-person team of Resistance soldiers broke from the group and headed for the AA gun. Just as they started for it, a band of Dominion soldiers appeared and attacked, and Faasnu and his team and squad were forced to make a one-eighty to fire on the now-arriving enemy troops. While dashing for cover, two of the Resistance soldiers were caught in the open and gunned down. Faasnu primed a grenade and lobbed it into the enemy's formation. He fired on them with his rifle to keep their attention on him while the grenade sailed through the air, then ducked back down to reload as the grenade landed and detonated. He rose from cover and shot dead two of the four survivors that were now retreating. Another explosion sounded behind Faasnu, and he turned to see the AA gun being blasted apart. The legs dropped, and the gun itself was blown apart. The three resistance soldiers were seen running from the explosion.

"Let's head out! Staggered formation! Go!" Faasnu shouted. The troops, Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen scattered in a wide group, heading through the noisy Alinor streets for their final target. Explosions in the distance marked the battle for Alinor was progressing all over. Whether they were from AA guns being destroyed or from general combat was unclear. They moved through the city streets, and came upon their final target – an AA gun sitting on an area overlooking the Portal Machine. This AA gun, however, was not unguarded; a group of Dominion troops held the perimeter. Just as they arrived on the scene, so did a squad of Stormcloaks. Faasnu ordered the Stormcloaks and Resistance fighters into a diversionary assault while he, Kabier and Elenwen took some of the High-Explosives and slipped through enemy lines under cloak. They planted the explosives on the base of the legs, then Faasnu leapt up and planted them around the base of the gun. He leapt down, and they disengaged their PCDs and helped the Resistance and Stormcloak forces quell the Dominion forces in the area. Once done, Faasnu detonated the explosives, and walked to the edge of the area, looking at the Portal Machine. It was strange, looking more like a small office building rather than a machine that generated a portal. But Faasnu saw a ring start to rise from that building.

They were powering the portal up.

Just as they started, Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen heard the roar of approaching starfighter engines; they looked up to see a flight group of bombers fly overhead, followed closely by a group of frigates.

_"__All ships,"_ Ordered General Indari over a radio channel, _"__Fire at will."_

The bombers fired anti-ship torpedoes, while the frigates launched a volley of Mass Drivers, Cluster Missiles, and Disruptors; all of these munitions impacted on the structure and tore it apart, blasting chunks off and sending debris in every direction. Even the Portal Ring's support took hits, and shattered, dropping the ring and creating a dust cloud.

_"__General Indari to Lieutenant General Dovahkiir,"_ Indari's voice came over Faasnu's radio. _"__Enemy leadership is heading for a hangar on the west side of the city – we cannot allow them to escape! Stop them!"_

Faasnu looked to Kabier and Elenwen. Though they couldn't see his face, they knew his words need not be spoken. They both nodded subtly. They would follow him to the end of the galaxy. Faasnu shifted to Dragon form, and after Kabier and Elenwen got onto his back, Faasnu took to the sky. They headed for the hangar, and caught the Thalmor Officials, escorted by a warrior clad in armor akin to Earth's Samurai. Faasnu landed between them and their escape craft, and after Kabier and Elenwen got off Faasnu's back, he shifted back to normal form. The armor-clad warrior stood between Faasnu and the Thalmor Officials.

"Faasnu Dovahkiir, I presume?" he asked.

"In the flesh," Faasnu answered, handing his rifle off to Kabier and drawing his diamond-bladed Katanas. "You must be T'Bai."

"You've won this day, Faasnu," T'Bai said, "But the Thalmor will live to fight again."

"Wrong," Faasnu said. "The Thalmor are all but finished. I've no desire to kill you, but the Thalmor Leadership cannot be allowed to escape. Stand down; you've done nothing wrong, so far. Let's keep it that way."

"Sorry," T'Bai responded, "But I wouldn't be doing my job if I complied with your orders. I was hired to kill you, and I will do just that."

"So the Thalmor knew I was coming here," Faasnu surmised. "Why only hire you? Why not a number of bounty hunters?"

"Because I am the best," T'Bai answered, drawing a blade of his own. "Now, are you going to fight, or talk me to death?" T'Bai advanced on Faasnu, and while he did, Kabier could hear Faasnu speaking an ancient language. As he spoke, his blades began to light up with alien runes. T'Bai saw this, and rushed Faasnu in an attempt to stop him before he could finish. But Faasnu finished just a split second before T'Bai closed the distance, and brought his blades up in a defensive strike, deflecting T'Bai's sword. Faasnu then engaged the bounty hunter, swinging and moving his blades in graceful arcs, his speed seemingly enhanced to be twice that of T'Bai. T'Bai made an error midway in the duel, and Faasnu was quick to exploit it, putting T'Bai on the defensive. The final blow came when Faasnu broke T'Bai's sword, then leapt over him, landing behind him; he kicked his back to T'Bai, impaling him on one of his blades, then whirled around and sheared the bounty hunter in two. Before T'Bai could scream, Faasnu mercifully ended his life. He turned to face the Thalmor Officials, who were now trembling in fear.

"You have a choice," Faasnu told them, "Surrender and face trial, or advance and face summary execution." The Thalmor fearfully surrendered, and Faasnu sheathed his blades as DMC personnel came to take the Officials away. Faasnu approached Kabier, whose eyes were gleaming with tears. She threw her arms around Faasnu with joy, and Faasnu held her.

"It is done," Kabier whispered. "At long last, it is done."

"Yes," Faasnu agreed, "It is done. Now, we go home."

"Yeah, and if one were to go by the look you two have in your eyes, you two can focus on getting married... as you had planned to do so long ago," Elenwen chuckled. Faasnu, Kabier and Elenwen boarded a drop ship, and headed back to Skyrim, where they had first started this path that they had proudly walked...


	23. Battleground Tamriel - Epilogue

Epilogue

With the defeat of the Aldmeri Dominion and their Necromyan and Mirdakian allies, peace began to return to Tamriel. The Thalmor Officials captured during the battle of Alinor were put on trial, and were eventually executed or imprisoned for their roles in both the first Great War, and this Great War, now being officially called the Second Great War. With the Aldmeri homeland firmly in Imperial and DMC hands, and the Aldmeri Dominion officially overthrown, the White-Gold Concordat was effectively nullified. The worship of Talos was once again welcomed, which overjoyed the human denizens of the Empire. The Necromyans and Mirdakians that had supported the Dominion were rounded up and escorted from Nirn, now a world officially protected by the forces of the Dragon'taan Marauder Corps. The Empire welcomed the DMC presence, and constructed an Embassy for the DMC in Skyrim.

Faasnu, in recognition for his meritorious service to both the Empire and the DMC, was placed in charge of DMC affairs throughout the Empire of Tamriel. Faasnu and Kabier got married, as they had planned, in the Riften Temple of Mara, after which, they returned home to Whiterun, where they supervised the construction of the DMC Embassy. There, their love grew, and they began contemplating starting a family. This idea was broadly supported by both Elenwen and her family and by Jarl Balgruuf, who was eager to play the role of "Uncle Balgruuf." Their wish finally came true one day when, on the first anniversary of Faasnu and Kabier's wedding, Kabier announced she was pregnant. Faasnu was initially shocked, but quickly leapt into the role of an expectant father with great enthusiasm. During a massive ceremony, Faasnu was awarded the DMC Medal of Distinguished Service for especially meritorious service to both the DMC and the Empire.

Elenwen, herself, had a child on the way. Leigh, Elenwen's daughter, quickly became excited at the news she would soon be a big sister. Elenwen and Faelian's affection for each other grew every day. Eventually, Leigh began calling Faasnu "Uncle Faasnu." Even though pregnant, Elenwen attended the Medal ceremony with Faasnu and the other heroes of the war, in which she was awarded the Aldmeri Cross of Loyalty, for aiding in the reinstatement of King Janus.

Ulfric Stormcloak, former leader of a Rebellion against the Empire, now the leader of an elite fighting force, remained the head of the Stormcloak Special Forces, moving their headquarters to Windhelm. To this day, the SSF remained Skyrim's most elite fighting force. Eventually, Ulfric began welcoming Argonians, Dunmer, and other races into the ranks of his elite fighting force. In a matter of months, he transformed his force from a Private Army to a force on par with the Imperial Army. People from all walks of life from multiple provinces flocked to join him. Ulfric Stormcloak was awarded the DMC Medal of Honor, for his part in the war.

General Tullius remained the head of Imperial Military affairs in Skyrim, staying in Solitude while he monitored the Imperial Army. With their joint victory over the Dominion, new recruits began coming to the Imperial Army from all corners of the Empire, keeping their recruitment on par with the SSF. The Imperial Army gained significant popularity from the populace of the Empire, due in no small part to their victories against the Aldmeri Dominion during the war. Tullius was awarded the Imperial Exemplary Service Medal in recognition for his part in the war.

After the war, Paarthurnax returned to his home on the Throat of the World, where he taught other dragons of the warrior who fell from the stars to wage war on his father's enemies. Eventually, he, himself, had a child, a child that grew to be close to Faasnu and his family.

Odahviing remained at Faasnu's side, and gladly told children across the empire of his adventures with the Son of Dovahkiin. However, he still wondered what really happened to Dovahkiin – did he die of old age or old wounds? Or does he still wander the galaxy, using the power of his voice to wage war against his foes?

One thing is certain in the now rapidly-changing Tamriel: While the Second Great War is over, the struggles facing the newly-formed Alliance have only just begun...

**To Be Continued...**


End file.
